I Remember
by KelseyLoVe
Summary: This story starts near the end of Dead to the World, just after Eric wakes up in Sookie's house with his memory back. Things go a little differently in my version of events. Eric/Sookie
1. Chapter 1

Author: KelseyLoVe

Title: I Remember

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters in the Southern Vampire Mysteries. They belong to Charlaine Harris. I just want to make Eric happy for a while.

Author's Note: This story picks up right near the end on Dead to the World, just after Sookie comes into contact with the memory-restored Eric. Eric has just woken up and Sookie has just realized that he remembers who he is, but not their time together.

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"Did we make love?" he asked hopefully. "Did you finally yield to me, Sookie? It's only a matter of time, of course." He grinned at me.

"Haven't I turned you down enough times for you to give it up?" I asked, but it didn't have the punch it should have. "I'm not going to have sex with you," I said, mentally adding "again."

Eric stalked closer to me with his head cocked to one side, inquisitively. "Sookie, you should know better," Eric said with a smirk.

I started putting up the walls in my brain. Usually it was to keep out others' thoughts, but at this moment it was to keep from being aware of my own. "Eric, I have no idea what you're talking about," I replied with a big, fake smile. Although, I was worried I knew exactly what he was talking about.

"You've had my blood. A lot of my blood. I can tell things about you. How you're feeling… and right now, you are terribly sad and disappointed," Eric said, somewhat confused by this but still cocky.

"You must be reading my feelings wrong, because I'm ecstatic that you can finally get out of my house. I can hardly stand being around you for two minutes and you've been here four days," I said. My voice was a little shaky, despite my best efforts. I'd been holding myself together pretty well with the shock of it all, but I could feel the cracks seeping in. Eric needed to leave. Now.

Eric took a few steps closer and took my arm. He closed his eyes and took a deep unnecessary intake of breath. "I'm not reading them wrong. They're getting stronger."

I started thinking about kittens and rainbows and sunbathing, anything I could to make myself happy, but his touch made me want to cry. It wasn't gentle or even sexual, it was casual. He was touching me only to get more information from me; to read me better. He opened his eyes to stare into mine before reaching out. His free hand moved my hair from my shoulders, allowing him to examine both sides of my throat. I was gladder than ever that my Eric had preferred an artery in a more private location. Then his eyes lit up and he smiled. Apparently the real Eric had that same preference. And then I did something I shouldn't have; I involuntarily reached down to hold on to the edge of my robe. Eric's smile deepen as he looked down at my hands, clenched around the thin fabric.

"Well, I was going to see for myself, but now… I'd still like to see for myself." Eric's eyes met mine and they were blazing with intensity and pride that he had found me out.

"Eric, please…" I didn't like to beg, but I felt so weak. I was sick at the thought of what this would mean for me. He sure wasn't going to give me everything that was his and make the vampires who owed him fealty honor me.

His hand had begun reaching for the edge of my robe when he stopped. He looked up at me, but I couldn't meet his eyes. A tear or two had fallen in the mixture of sadness and fear I was experiencing. Eric hesitated, frozen. "You and I did make love," he said, with only the hint of a question. His voice was cool, unemotional.

I bit my lip and nodded. What choice did I have other than to admit it? He, for all intents and purposes, already knew. He'd simply saved me the embarrassment of getting the visual proof.

"More than once." This time there was even less question in his voice. "I can feel your blood in me."

I tried to stop the tears, because they just weren't helping anything, and I felt like I cried way too much for my own good, but they kept coming. "But you don't remember," I said in a whisper, with no hope he would contradict my statement.

Eric shook his head and let his arms fall limp at his sides, much against his nature. "No… I wish I did," he said, but the leer I would've expected in his tone wasn't present.

My eyes darted up to meet his and I blinked away the tears. "What? No, 'Why don't you refresh my memory and take of that robe?'," I asked bitterly. I was doing my best to push away any thoughts that the real Eric might be anything like my Eric, and I guess that came out as bitter.

Eric looked up quickly, and I saw what looked like a flash of hurt. He chose to ignore my question, however, "Do you have… feelings for me?"

Well that was unexpected, to say the least, and my mouth hung open slightly as I searched for the proper response. I swallowed and got out of the angry, defensive stance I'd taken, "I have feelings… for the Eric I spent the last four days with. An Eric, that, as far as I can tell, is nothing like you."

The second I uttered those words, I regretted them. His face fell, and although it was only for a second, he looked anguished. I scrambled, "Eric, I'm sorry. This isn't your fault. I didn't want to say anything about it. You vampires and your damn sensing! I wanted to just let you go and try to forget about it."

"All I want is to remember it," he said, in a tone I didn't recall hearing come from his mouth before. He was looking at the floor now. I was scared. Scared because I was about seventy five percent sure Eric was tricking me. He was probably going to start laughing soon, once he saw the look on my face. But I couldn't help going to him. I spanned the couple of steps between us and placed a somewhat shaky hand under his chin and made him look up. His eyes reminded me of my Eric, when I'd first found him and he was lost and confused. "Why can't I remember?" he asked.

It was so complicated, but I made it as simple as I could, "A really powerful witch, the one you met with, she cursed you and took your memory. We fought her and won, and we had her fix you. So I imagine it's now reversed and you can remember everything but the time when you didn't, well, remember anything." He took this all in as best he could, but I could tell he was still confused. And then it was like he wiped his mind of it. Eric had a new focus. "How do I get it back?" he asked.

"Get what back?" I asked quickly.

"The memory of the past few days with you," he said simply. "I want to remember what happened between us." His voice was soft but passionate, and I believed that he truly did want to remember. The problem was that I wasn't so sure that I wanted him to remember. Specifically, I wanted him to remember everything up until we got home from Shreveport.

"I don't know, Eric. I'm sure they've killed Hallow by now and I would think she would be the one to do it," I said, half of me hoping I was right, the other half crying out for his memory to be restored.

"We have to find out," he said.

"Well, Pam is probably on her way now. She'll be here soon. We can ask her when she arrives," I said, and I reached out and took his hand. It had only been a few days of intimacy with him and I already had instincts that would have to be broken. I quickly realized what I'd done and snatched my hand away as if I'd been burned. My hand wasn't even back at my side before Eric had taken it again. I gasped softly, staring at our entwined fingers. I had a flash of the first night he was here, and falling asleep just this way.

"I've had… feelings for you… at least since Jackson," he said, also staring at our hands, "That's when I first… acknowledged them."

I laughed uncomfortably. These words were normal for my Eric, but not for the real Eric. The feelings he's speaking of couldn't possibly be of the same variety, though. "Eric, it's no secret you've had feelings for me. You've made it very clear, your intentions for me, ever since the first time I met you." This wasn't news to me, or anyone who'd ever been around the two of us together.

Eric sighed, he was uncomfortable as well. He dropped my hand and turned to walk towards the living room. I followed after a moment and watched him sink into the couch. I hesitantly came to perch beside him. He stared blankly ahead of him, "I'm not talking about those type of feelings."

"Oh." That was all I could think to say in response, because I was in no way sure of where this conversation was now headed.

He turned to look at me, and stared for a while, both of us silent. Then he sat up and turned to me, reaching his hand up to run it through my hair. "I can't explain what these feelings are. Possibly because it's been… a very long time since I felt much of anything."

I was getting flashes in my mind of the conversation I had with my Eric. A very different, and yet similar conversation. "Do you… care about me?" I asked, somewhat timidly.

His eyes blazed again, "Yes." And there was the slightest anger mixed into his voice, at how he could have slipped up and let that happen.

"But you don't love me," I said with conviction. If my Eric hadn't loved me, certainly the real Eric didn't.

"I don't know what love feels like," he said. "I only know that I've wanted to be… close to you, for some time now. And to find that I have been, very close to you, and I am empty of those memories… To not even remember experiencing it…" He didn't finish, but I could fill in the blanks based on the look in his eyes. He was aggravated. And sad. I reached between us and took both of his hands in mine. I was at a loss for how to continue. We sat in silence for a few minutes, motionless.

"Could you ever… have feelings for me?" he asked, "And not just the version of me you were with the past few days."

"I don't know," I said honestly. "The you I was with… was very different from the one I'm used to."

"How was I different?" he asked, moving closer to me.

His proximity and soft voice were making me feel things that were not productive at the current time. "Well, you were kind to me, sweet even," I laughed, "The first night you were here, you curled up in my bed beside me and I fell asleep just holding your hand." Eric raised his eyebrows questioningly. I raised mine right back, "You asked. And I'm telling." He motioned with his hand for me to continue. "You said very nice things to me. You told me… that I was beautiful." I had to bite the inside of my mouth after I'd said it. I was telling the truth when I said no one had ever looked me in the eyes and said that to me. And now, the person who had said it was gone. I sucked it up and continued with my description. "You were very protective of me. You wanted to take care of me. You were… well somewhat old-fashioned. It was like you were from another time. But it felt nice, to feel taken care of. Even though I knew it wouldn't last." I very briefly considered describing our incredible sexual experiences, but I thought better of it. I was sure it would lead to another one happening in the here and now, and I wasn't sure yet if that would be a good idea.

"I was really all of those things?" he asked, and the look on his face was unreadable.

"Yes," I said, feeling that there were many ways I could've elaborated upon it, but decided to keep my mouth shut.

"And you were going to just let me go?" he asked suddenly.

I took a steadying breath, "I didn't think I had much choice. I thought that even if you remembered or were told what happened, it wouldn't make any difference. You'd still be back to you. What good would telling you do?"

"You think I could leave knowing what had passed between us? That's your opinion of me?" he asked, and his anger could not be ignored.

"Eric…," I breathed in, choosing my words carefully, "Up until you lost your memory, the only signals I got from you were that you wanted to have sex with me. Not take care of me, or be my boyfriend, or take me out on dates. So I thought that if you knew we'd had sex, and that I had enjoyed it, you'd expect me to be available for that activity any time you desired it. That you'd have even more power over me, with that bit of knowledge. And now you have that knowledge, and although you aren't enacting your power just yet, I'm still fearful that you will."

Eric sighed, "I cannot blame you for feeling this way." He stared into my eyes then, doing his best to show the sincerity of his next words, "But I assure you, that that will not be the case. No matter how badly I want you, I will never force myself upon you." I nodded just slightly in acknowledgement of this statement. "And I cannot use your feelings against you, when I feel so much for you in return," he continued, more softly. I let the truth of his words sink in, and he changed topics before I could respond.

"Your description of me without my memory sounds like a _very_ selective part of my personality," he said, and it was barely above a whisper. He was somewhat annoyed, but I ignored that because what he said made the wheels in my brain start turning.

"It's almost like she erased the memories of everything you had done as a vampire… But you still had the vampire instincts. She must not have been able to get rid of those. It _was_ you, but without all the baggage," I said, fumbling through my theory. I was making it up as I went, but it sounded almost plausible.

"Yes. And possibly even many of the things I did as a human." He wasn't as excited as I was by this revelation. Again, we were in silence. All of this information and lack of information was a lot to take in for both of us.

"You are beautiful," Eric said. That was unexpected, to say the least.

"Thank you," I replied, becoming suddenly very interested in the blank television. His hand reached up to touch my face, I twitched at first, but then I relaxed my cheek against his palm. I closed my eyes and pretended he was my Eric. And then his lips brushed mine. He was gentle, and I felt with my heart that this, in fact, was my Eric. His arms wrapped around me and held me to him tightly, but just enough that I felt safe. My legs were pulled up onto his lap and my hands roamed across his back. Just as I felt things start to pick up and the intensity of the kiss start to build, he broke away. Eric gasped unnecessarily with a look of shock on his face. His eyes were open and staring straight ahead, but he wasn't looking at me.

"An image just flashed in my mind… I think I remember," he whispered.

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Oh goodie, a cliffhanger! : ) Lucky for you chapter two is right around the corner. All you need to do to get it soon is to push the green button below. Reviews make me happier than most anything. And if I'm happy, I'll post chapter two.


	2. Chapter 2

Author: KelseyLoVe

Title: I Remember

Disclaimer: I still don't own the characters from SVM. Please don't sue. I'm just trying to make Eric and Sookie happy.

Author's Note: Thank you to all of my fabulous reviewers, with a special nod to SeluciaV one of my most loyal and helpful reviewers. All of your messages paid off, here's chapter two!

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_Eric gasped unnecessarily with a look of shock on his face. His eyes were open and staring straight ahead, but he wasn't looking at me. _

"_An image just flashed in my mind… I think I remember," he whispered._

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His eyes refocused and he looked at me. "You were sitting here on this couch and I was sitting on the floor between your legs. I was…" he trailed off, not able to wrap his head around the word he was thinking.

"Scared," I filled in, somehow managing to make a clear statement still sound slightly hesitant. His eyes snapped to me then and he glared.

"Confused is more the word I was searching for," he said.

"Right. Of course," I said quickly, trying to keep a straight face. He ignored my reaction with a flip of his hand.

"Regardless… In that confusion, you were… comforting to me. The only thing I felt I knew and could trust," he was physically with me, but mentally he was back in time four days ago. "It was instinctual, my trust of you. I had forgotten everything, but I knew you." I could see his brain working. He was trying to elaborate on the memory and expand it. A memory of a moment out of a very busy couple of days seemed to have frustrated him even more than knowing nothing. All I could feel was shock. I couldn't believe he'd remembered something, or understand how. What would it mean that he remembered? Would he remember everything? While I was also off in a faraway place thinking of all this, Eric had formulated a plan.

He grabbed my face and was kissing me again before I had a chance to understand what was happening. We kissed on my couch for a very long time, and believe me, I'm not complaining. This kiss was much less gentle, and much more intense. We picked up where our last kiss had left off, and then some. When he stopped I could feel both of our arousals.

"Anything?" I asked breathlessly.

"No," he responded, "Maybe we should try a different room." It wasn't a suggestion.

He lifted me up in his arms and whisked me towards my bedroom. Just as he shifted me in his arms to open the door, I said, "Wait." He froze after only a second's time of ignoring my request.

His eyes probed mine, and I could see the anticipation in them, but mostly the frustration of being halted, "Yes, Sookie?" I wiggled in his arms and he reluctantly released me to my own feet. Once I was standing and had lost all contact with Eric, I felt somehow hollow and this almost made me forget why I asked him to wait.

"This is just all happening very fast. Too fast for me to keep up with. First, I'm trying to grasp the idea that you have no recollection of the past few days, and thus trying to forget it myself. Then you're acting sort of strange and you kiss me. Now you've remembered something that happened, and we're about to possibly get you to remember all of it… It's just a lot to go on in only ten minutes. Both my brain and my heart have been through a lot in ten minutes," I said, not fully intending on babbling as much as I had. I took a deep breath and made myself stand up taller and look him straight in the eyes, steely myself against the possibility of tears.

Eric touched my face with one hand, "As have mine. I don't know what to feel. I usually don't feel anything, and right now I feel many things. It's very… annoying. I think if I remember, everything will be much clearer." I resisted the urge to scoff at that, as I was not so sure Eric's hypothesis was correct. Instead I nodded in understanding, and I _could_ understand his wanting to know. If this worked, the bedroom was going to be a flood of memories. It was where nearly all of the events of the past few days had occurred. I also realized that if this worked, I would have to find a way to keep from ever kissing him in the kitchen. Stepping into that bedroom could mean a lot of things, if it really did refresh his memory. I was both terrified and excited.

I reached out and took Eric's hand, leading him into my bedroom. He followed behind, looking around the room and taking it all in. This Eric had only stepped foot in here once before. I turned to sit on the bed and scooted towards the middle and back against the headboard. Eric got onto the bed and crawled after me. He stopped when he was straddling my hips and his face was an inch from mine. His arm snaked behind the low of my back and he slid us down until my head was resting on my pillow. He was on top of me, but I barely felt his weight. He began by kissing my forehead, my eyelids, my cheeks, until he finally found my lips, by which point I was about to scream from anticipation. We kissed for a few beautiful minutes and then it happened. His lips suddenly stopped moving, and his body stiffened. He kept his eyes closed and leaned his forehead against mine. As he hovered above me, he became motionless. I reached up and touched his face, "What do you see?"

He answered in very choppy, spaced out sentences. "I see us. In this bed. We're making love. I'm biting your thigh. The taste of your blood is intoxicating. You're so tight around me. So warm. All of you is so warm. We are coming together. I felt… euphoric." With that last word, his eyes opened to look upon me with such admiration that I was stunned speechless. All I could do was look at him and wait for him to continue. "I cannot remember feeling that way ever before. Sex was always just… sex. A way to feed, and feel pleasure… release. But that… was something else entirely," he said. I swallowed hard at his revelation.

As positive as he was speaking of the memories, I was still skeptical of how he would take all of this. "But it was a good something else? Right?" I asked.

He reached under me and moved us so that we were laying on our sides facing each other. He propped himself up on one elbow and began trailing my body with his free hand. "'Good' is not an appropriate term for what I just saw. It was something for which I don't know that an appropriate term exists." He still hadn't really answered my question, and he looked very perplexed, although his hand never stopped moving on my side. If there's one thing Eric doesn't enjoy, it's not knowing, and he'd been experiencing a lot of that lately. Instead of answering my question, he formed his own.

"Why is it that without my memory, you were the only thing that made sense, but with my memory, the only thing that I cannot understand?" I didn't have any answer for him, so I kept my mouth shut and treated it as a rhetorical question. As we lay there, I wished desperately I could read vampire minds. Just every so often, when I really needed to. In a futile attempt, I stared at him and concentrated really hard for a few seconds, but silence was the only thing I gleaned from his head.

Eric had been staring at nothing, but suddenly his eyes began to follow his hand and a fire entered them. "It angers me more than I can say that I have been deprived of experiencing the last four days firsthand and have only seen parts in the form of flashes in my mind. I have a feeling the images in my brain do not do you justice." His hand dipped lower and his eyes latched onto mine. I could see very clearly where he was steering the conversation.

"Eric, there are a lot more memories for you to discover. Don't you want to see?" I asked somewhat nervously.

"Maybe this will refresh my mind even more…" he purred, as his hand reached up under my shirt causing me to shiver.

I scrambled a little farther away on the bed, "I don't know, but I'm pretty sure there are some events that occurred in the bathroom you'd like to remember…"

His eyebrows jumped up at this, "Is that right?" I nodded quickly and continued backing up, coming to stand and saunter towards the bathroom, watching him the whole way.

Eric stalked towards me and wrapped his arms around me just as I made it through the doorway. He pressed my body up against the wall across from the shower and captured my lips. His body was touching mine in every way possible and it felt better than I'd remembered. I think it was because real Eric was quite a bit more aggressive than my Eric, and I found that that turned me on more than I cared to admit. When he broke away this time, he stayed close, but rested his head against my shoulder. I felt his body begin to hum and twinge, and his erection grew as he watched us. His hands gripped my hips tightly and I gasped. As he saw us in the shower for the first time in his mind, I replayed it in my own. I was thankful his body was against mine so tightly, as my knees went weak and I felt I could hardly stand of my own free will.

When he lifted his head to look at me, his fangs were extended. I grabbed his face with my hands and kissed him hard. He kissed me back equal vigor and put his hands on my butt. In a split second I was lifted and my legs were wrapped around him. We were back in the bedroom moments later. He stood me on my feet and began undressing me. I reached under his shirt to pull it off and felt his smooth skin all the way up his torso. I was naked already, without hardly understanding how, and was fumbling with his pants. He simultaneously pulled back the covers and placed me on the bed under them. With speed and deftness I would never acquire, Eric undid his pants, pulled them down and stood before me more magnificent than a Greek statue. But I didn't get to stare long, as he was in bed next to me, pulling the covers up over us. He began kissing me all over, "You were cold in my memory. I will make sure and keep you very warm tonight," he whispered seductively. Considering it felt as though he set my skin on fire every place he touched me, he kept his promise. He would whisper many more things to me as we explored each other, in a way for the first time.

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I hope you enjoyed! Sorry I'm not big into the writing of the sexy love scenes. Maybe later on I'll work up the nerve... I'll need some courage in the form of positive reviews. ; ) So... please review!!! The number of reviews I get is directly related to the number of days it takes me to post the next chapter... It's science. : )


	3. Chapter 3

Author: KelseyLoVe

Title: I Remember

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters in the Southern Vampire Mysteries. They belong to Charlaine Harris. I just want to make Eric and Sookie happy for a while.

Summary: This story picks up right near the end on Dead to the World, just after Sookie comes into contact with the memory-restored Eric. Eric has just woken up and Sookie has just realized that he remembers who he is, but not their time together.

Author's Note: Sorry for the slightly longer than usual delay. As many of you may already be aware, my laptop was being worked on for two weeks. It was a dark time for me... But seriously, to make up for it, here's a nice long chapter for you! I hope you enjoy. Thanks to everyone for reviewing, it means SO much to me. : )

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_He began kissing me all over, "You were cold in my memory. I will make sure and keep you very warm tonight," he whispered seductively. Considering it felt as though he set my skin on fire every place he touched me, he kept his promise. He would whisper many more things to me as we explored each other, in a way for the first time. _

When I woke maybe a half hour later from my perfectly contented, vigorous-and-mind-blowing-sex-induced coma, I felt Eric's long, hard body stretched out at my back and smiled. He felt me awaken, even though I hadn't moved except the slight upturn of my lips, and the hand that was resting gently on my stomach pressed, effectively making me as close to him as possible. "Hello, lover," he whispered into my ear and I shivered involuntarily, "I was craving you so badly I almost woke you up… But you were so peaceful…" I made sounds of contentment as I turned in his arms. His hand never changed positions, sliding around my body to rest on the low of my back. It made it difficult to turn, but also considerably more enjoyable. I looked up into his icy blue eyes and just basked. I thought I was allowed to do something so girly and human, at least every once in a while.

I had had to entertain the idea of this scenario never happening again, even if only for about 15 minutes. It had been one of the blacker thoughts I'd had in my life, and I'd had quite a few of those lately. I realized, laying here with him now, that I'd intricately wrapped my happiness up in him over the past few days. This had been completely stupid and irrational, but that was what hearts were for after all. I'd done it knowing that, well, what was happening this second would not happen again. I would have either kept my Eric, the fake Eric, if his memory could not be returned, or the real Eric, who didn't particularly care for me, would be restored. Either option had serious problems and either option left me with only part of a whole. I wanted to have my cake and eat it, too. I wanted the sweet, caring Eric who swore he'd protect me and take care of me and (almost) loved me. I also wanted the snarky, sarcastic, smirking and fun Eric that I could joke and fight with. The two possible endings for the time with my Eric had seemed very black and white. I was laying in bed with a considerably grayer solution.

Eric removed his hand from my back to run his hand through my hair, "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking I had prepared myself, although not very well, for the outcomes of this whole you-losing-your-memory-and-us-being-together thing… This was not one of the outcomes I'd imagined," I said with a bittersweet tone, abridging (a Word of the Day from a few weeks back) my long and tangled thought process.

"I regret that you had to endure such pain and confusion. Especially since it was caused by my memory being lost… and then only partially restored," he said, and I opened my mouth to protest. He, however, put a finger over my lips to stop me. "Even if indirect and unintentional, I still caused you pain… It won't happen again," he continued.

My hand touched his cheek and then pushed the hair off of his forehead. I stretched up and placed a kiss there, and then on each eyelid. I covered his face in soft, airy kisses, trying to make him feel that I did not hold him accountable, rather than trying to say it. He began to speak softly to me as I did this.

"I saw us laying here as you described. You falling asleep holding my hand, and then the next night with my arm around you. You allowed me to sleep in this bed beside you, so that I would feel more comfortable. Even though you were scared," he surmised from his memories.

I smiled and blushed just a little. "It wasn't a big deal. Besides, I didn't have to worry, you were a perfect gentleman… The first two nights, at least." At this, Eric smirked and rolled us over so that he was hovering over top of me. It was looking more and more like I would get to have the best of both Erics.

"I'll show you what a gentleman I can be," he said, still smirking, with that look of clear intent in his eyes. He swooped down and caught my lips in a passionate kiss. His lips moved against mine in a steady rhythm, and his hands caressed my sides. I wove my fingers intricately into his long blonde hair, trying to pull him closer than was physically possible. He broke away, and I was gasping. He trailed his mouth down my face and neck before letting his body collapse onto me in a way. I felt and welcomed his weight, loving the feeling of being completely covered by him. I felt perfectly safe.

Eric wrapped both arms around me tightly and buried his face in my neck and hair. "I have wanted this for so long," he growled, and it was both pained and happy at the same time. I could tell he meant more than just me, but the idea of me. He just held me for a long time, and I was more than happy to stay in his arms. As I laid there with him, I allowed myself to think of nothing at all. When I did this, my mind became open to something I hadn't noticed earlier. I didn't move, but my body tensed. Eric noticed, and tensed up himself, but remained quiet, waiting for me to speak. "Eric, there is another vampire in my house," I whispered as softly as I could manage.

I felt him smile against my collarbone, "Yes, Lover. I know a lot has happened, but have you forgotten that Pam would surely come to visit now that I've been restored?"

I let out the breath I'd been holding, "Of course… How long has she been here?"

Eric shrugged, absently nuzzling his face against me, whispering in my ear, "Only about a half hour."

"Does she know we're both in here? Does she know that we're doing _this_?" I sort of pushed against him to sit up in my semi-panic. They were the silliest questions I could recall asking in my life, but I was embarrassed and that made me say silly things, I guess. I was talking about a vampire; the answer was a resounding, "Yes," to both.

Eric chuckled lightly and then took one big, long breath in through his nose, smelling me. He seemed to have become intoxicated and I was the drug. "I won't answer those, because you already know," he said. "But don't be embarrassed. I went out to let her in while you were asleep. Pam indicated to me that everyone already knew that we'd been doing _this_ for a while now."

I scoffed, crossing my arms, "Yeah, well you weren't exactly Mr. Discretion. You made it very clear that I was yours to pretty much everyone we saw the past week. It was a very clear indication that we were doing _this_."

He pulled back from my neck at this. It was the first bit of hostility he'd gotten from me in a while. "Did you mind my doing that?" he asked, and his gaze was serious, "Because letting others know you are mine is something I fully intend on continuing. And I'm glad to see that that part of my personality remained even without my memory."

I tried to let the tension out of me before I responded, "I can't say I like everyone knowing my personal business. I'm just… well, I guess, old-fashioned in that way. And I'm not big on PDA or Public Displays of Ownership. Two things you seem rather fond of. Although, I understand that is necessary _sometimes_." Eric was looking at me with slight confusion and amusement. "To answer your question, I can live with it, if kept to a minimum. As long as you can live with me being pissy about it," I said quickly. Eric smirked, and I felt my resolve melting away.

"And I think I can 'live with that,' as you say. It'll be a good challenge every once in a while, to turn your pissy mood into one that is more… amiable towards me," he said and his eyes were leering at me. He closed the gap between us in a flash and kissed me hard. I was frozen momentarily, with the passion I felt radiating from his entire body. I was getting very hot, very quickly.

"Pam," I mumbled, and my voice was husky. It was a very weak protest, as my hands had already begun roaming across the muscles of his back. Eric, sensing this, only pulled me tighter to him, which I hadn't thought possible. He held me so tight I could hardly breathe, and I could hardly care.

"Ahem," I heard Pam cough from the doorway. Eric and I both froze where we were. Apparently Pam had heard me say her name and thought I was beckoning her. Maybe to vampires my whisper could pass for yelling. That or she really wanted to piss Eric off.

"Pam," Eric said, and this time there was no mistaking the intention behind it. I shivered involuntarily from the intensity of his anger.

Pam, however, was just standing in the door frame grinning from ear to ear, "Master, if you'll excuse my interruption, it is getting late and we should head back to the bar soon. There is much to be done. And since you informed me of your new memory loss, I was wondering if you would allow me to brief you on the past few days' events now… but maybe Sookie has taken care of that task for me?"

I shifted slightly in the bed now, putting a safe foot or so between Eric and I, and pulled the covers tightly around me. The blush that was creeping into my cheeks was difficult to suppress. Apparently Eric hadn't done much besides let her in the house. Pam didn't seem to know a whole lot about what was going on. "I've told him a little… And he's seen parts of it," I answered.

"Seen?" she asked, with an eyebrow raised. "I wouldn't have thought our innocent Sookie was so… kinky."

I rolled my eyes at Pam's insinuation and Eric growled. I put a hand on his chest to try and calm him. "No worries, Pam. He didn't see it on a video tape."

Eric sat up, glaring at Pam and explained further, "Sookie has been able to… refresh my memory. I have seen certain… events in my mind. She has also informed me on some of what's happened."

"Is that right? You've had some flashes of the past few days?" she asked, and her grin returned.

"Yes, but it has been selective," he continued, unhappy with his child's reactions, "I seem to only remember when I'm physically in the location the events happened."

"Ah… so that's why you ended up in bed? I did get the impression that many of your memories from your time here had happened in this particular room," Pam smirked and then winked at me. I didn't know how to respond to that. She wasn't wrong. Thankfully Eric spoke for me.

"Pam, meet us in the living room. We'll be there in a few minutes to discuss this further." Pam's smirk remained, but she quickly turned and exited my bedroom. I let out a huff of air as I started to get up out of bed and get dressed. Before I could stand to collect my discarded clothing, Eric was kneeling on the bed behind me. He wrapped his arms around me and whispered into my ear. "Lover, I'm sorry for that intrusion. I will make it up to you." He left a chaste kiss on my neck before releasing me and going to find clothes of his own. I'll admit that as I was dressing I took more than a couple looks at him sauntering around my room naked and then half naked. I decided I could very much get used to that sight on a daily basis.

"I really hope to be back in my own clothes soon," he said, looking down at his far from designer duds.

I smiled as I pulled on a t-shirt. "Yeah, they don't really do you justice. But it was the best I could do at the time."

He was in front of me in an instant. His eyes roamed my body, "I have yet to find any clothing that does you justice," he said, and there was more praise in his voice than lust. I just smiled up at him as he took my hand and walked me out into the living room. Pam was standing immobile, charging her batteries, so to speak. Eric and I sat on the couch and Pam took this as an indication to sit as well.

Pam opened her mouth to speak, but I slapped my hand to my forehead, "Shoot! What time is it?"

Pam looked startled, but answered, "6:45."

I scrambled to my feet, "I'm sorry, I have to go get ready for work. I completely lost track of time. I was supposed to be there 15 minutes ago." Eric reluctantly let go of my hand and watched my run back to the bedroom. I got dressed in a hasty manner, threw my hair up in a ponytail, grabbed my purse and coat and headed for the door. Eric appeared in front of it.

"Do you have to go? I'd rather you were here for this discussion," he said gently, one hand on my elbow, but I could feel the persuasion in his tone.

"Yes, I have to. It's just me, Arlene and Sam tonight. I'm surprised nobody's called yet," I said with a desperate plea in my voice that he not push this. I wanted to stay with him more than anything, and if he pushed it, I probably would. He must have felt something very strongly in my voice, because he actually moved from in front of me, hence unblocking the door.

"When do you get off work?" he asked calmly, but I could see he was stewing under the surface. It was obvious he was not happy with my choice.

"I close tonight, so I'll probably be done around 1:00, maybe later if we're busy," I answered, shifting my weight between my feet. I was torn between being antsy to get to work and curling up in Eric's arms for the rest of eternity.

"I will-" he began, but stopped briefly and restarted, "I would like to see you again tonight, but I fear I will not be able to get away. Tomorrow will likely be much the same."

I felt an ache in my chest at the thought of coming home to an empty house. I hadn't thought very far ahead to see that part of the gray area of this Eric was that he wasn't going to give up his job for me. Eric seemed to register my unease, as he sat me down instantly and knelt before me, looking into my eyes.

"Sookie… The last thing I want is to leave you. There are things I need to take care of, however. I'm sure that my absence has caused confusion, among other things," he paused for a second, and I tried to calm down. He looked into my eyes then. "There is much more that needs to be discussed." This simple phrase spoke volumes. We both had a very long list of unanswered questions, but we would just have to wait for now. "Do you work tomorrow, as well?"

"Late shift again," I said, still deflated.

"I will do everything in my power to be here when you come home tomorrow," he promised, his hands gripping my thighs and his eyes staring into mine.

I swallowed and nodded, "I'll hold you to that. But right now I've really got to go. And if you and Pam could just lock up when you leave, I'd appreciate it… well the back door at least," I said, gathering myself to stand again. He stood with me, towering over me.

Eric smiled briefly and his hand cupped my face. He lightly brushed my lips with his, "I will not be leaving you here with only the protection of a wooden stool." I smiled back at him despite my somewhat grim mood. "I will see you soon," he continued, still inches from me. I could only nod as I turned and walked quickly out of my house. I felt his eyes on me as I got into my car, threw the key into the ignition.

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f you liked it, you should seriously consider writing a review... don't make me resort to peer pressure... you know without me telling you that all the cool kids do it. ; )


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: This is very short, I know. I promise, however, that the next chapter will come very, very soon. It is nearly finished. But I wanted to give you something because I've gotten so many awesome reviews and they've really just been so so great to receive. Thank you all so much! You guys are the best. : ) So here's a little teaser...

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"_I will see you soon," Eric continued, still inches from me. I could only nod as I turned and walked quickly out of my house. I felt his eyes on me as I got into my car, threw the key into the ignition and drove off. In response, a warmth spread throughout my entire body. My speedy drive to work was spent trying desperately to continue driving in the opposite direction of where I wanted to be. _

On my way to work, in between weaker moments where I nearly did a u-turn and high-tailed it back to my house, I slowly came back down to earth. Eric having to leave and go back to Shreveport and Fangtasia was the first to knock me down a peg, followed quickly by the realization that my brother was still missing. Oh and I'd shot a woman in my kitchen the night before. I most certainly couldn't forget that. The image of her at my kitchen table will forever be engrained on the backs of my retinas.

When I ran in through the back entrance, I shook my head, trying to erase it just like an Etch-a-Sketch. It was about as effective as if all the particles were glued to the glass.

I threw my purse in the cabinet where we keep our purses, hung up my light—and thus not nearly warm enough, but considerably less bloody—coat and grabbed an apron before briskly walking out into the bar. I caught Sam's eye and mouthed an apology. I'd have to explain later when Arlene wasn't glaring at me and the plentiful supply of customers was served.

A couple hours later, things had calmed down considerably, as the dinner crowd had dispersed. Arlene seemed to have silently forgiven my tardiness, but I knew better than to think Sam would let me off that easy. I was bringing back a tray of empty glasses when he finally spoke to me about something other than drink orders. He put his hand on my elbow, "Sookie, what happened last night? And, it's no big deal, because you're never late, but… well, you're never late. Is everything okay? Have they found Jason?"

It was a lot of questions, but then again, there was a lot going on. "First off, there's a lot that happened last night, that we can't really get into right now. As for why I'm late, well it kind of has to do with last night." Emphasis on 'kind of.' "And I'm really sorry about that, by the way, but I won't let it happen again. And, unfortunately, there's no word on Jason." I said it all in a rush and turned to hurry back to one of my only tables with a bottle of ketchup before he could respond.

The rest of the night went by somewhat slowly with the lack of customers. We were able to do our closing duties relatively quickly, however, as we started getting ready even before we closed. Arlene had just finished up and headed home, so it was just Sam and me. He was cleaning up a few dishes and I was turning the chairs over onto the tables for Terry to sweep under in the morning. Sam caught my eye as I walked towards him, taking off my apron. His eyebrow was raised in silent question, wanting me to fill in the blanks I'd left earlier.

Quickly, but thoroughly, I detailed the events of the Witch War from the previous evening. I, of course, left out the part where I murdered someone (in self-defense, I reminded myself). Sam seemed disappointed that I had brought Eric back home with me again, but I couldn't leave that part out **and** explain why I'd been late for work without coming up with an outright lie. I was too emotionally overloaded to come up with and get someone to believe a lie, so I had to tell at least a partial truth.

"So, Eric woke up and he remembered who he was, but not anything that had happened the past few days," I said, wrapping it up.

Sam pretended to be focused on the glass he had been drying for a good 5 minutes straight, "How are you feeling about that?"

He wasn't looking at me, so I rolled my eyes a little, "Yeah, well that's the funny thing, and why I was late. Eric sort of, started to remember things after a bit."

This peaked his interest, and he attempted to look pleased, but failed, "Oh really? Well, that's…"

I saved him from having to finish his sentence, "Yeah, it was… interesting. A bit of a science experiment actually. He still doesn't remember everything. But the process of him remembering and explaining things took a while, and I just lost track of time. I really am sorry." I left out the bit where 'the process' I was referring to involved copious—one of my favorite calendar words so far—amounts of hot, steamy sex.

Sam's lips quirked up into a smile, but only briefly, "It's okay _chere_. I was more worried than anything, not knowing what happened last night and with your brother…"

I nodded grimly, finding it hard to be hopeful, let alone optimistic about the possibility of finding him.

Sam moved somewhat nervously before changing the subject, seemingly to try and lighten the mood, "You know, it's too bad you weren't working the earlier shift. Calvin Norris stopped in. He seemed disappointed when you weren't here."

I scoffed, "Yeah, sure."

"I'm not messing with you. I think he has real serious intentions for you, Sookie," he continued, and it was obviously more than a casual observation. It seemed Sam would try and steer me away from Eric at all costs.

"Look Sam, I know you think that I'd be much better off with a Were than a Vampire… but right now I need to figure things out with Eric. Very complicated things that will probably take quite some time," I sighed, resting up against the bar and fiddling with the strings on my apron.

"Well, yeah, I'd rather you be with just about anyone but a Vampire, so Calvin would win out there… but he's not a Were," Sam said with a smile, finally putting the exquisitely clean glass away and stepping towards me.

My eyebrows squished together as I looked up at him, "What do you mean? That's what they call themselves."

"Yes, but not with a capital W. They're werepanthers," he explained. Sam began walking towards his office to pack up for the night, and I think he expected me to follow. I remained frozen where I stood.

"Sam, why didn't you tell me this before?" I asked him, trying to keep the pain and accusation out of my tone. He turned to face me, realizing I hadn't moved.

He shrugged, "It hadn't occurred to me to tell you. I figured you likely already knew with all that's been going on."

"But you must have known that the footprints found on the dock at my brother's place were panther. And that Crystal Norris was at his house when he disappeared," I said, finally moving my eyes from the spot they'd found on the wall to look in his eyes.

Shock and realization hit him square in the face, "No, I didn't." Even with his clouded shifter brain I could tell he wasn't lying.

"I can't believe that the only person in this town who hadn't heard about the panther print is also the only one that knows of people who could've left it there," I shook my head in disbelief.

"I'm sorry, Sookie," he said sincerely. We stood silently for a moment, Sam shifting his weight and me twirling a strand of hair, while I thought of my next move.

Suddenly I realized what I had to do. I started moving towards Sam's office at a jog, "I've got to go, Sam." I grabbed my purse and coat and headed towards the exit before he could block my path. "Sookie! Wait!" Sam called out to me and started to follow me out into the snow. I glanced over my shoulder, "I'll see you tomorrow! Thanks, Sam." I jumped in my car and started it, taking off before it was given the proper amount of time to warm up. Sam had a distraught look on his face as I drove away, like he knew I was about to do something crazy and stupid. I couldn't be upset with him for it because I was about to do just that.

The snow was coming down fast and my poor car was fighting hard just to keep moving. I was about halfway out to Hotshot when I regretted my very rash decision. In Louisiana we don't experience it all that often, but I believe it's referred to as a white-out. All I could see in any direction was white and that meant the road itself was invisible. Hoping it would pass shortly, I slowed to a stop on what I imagined to be the side of the road. While I sat there alone in my car I realized another reason this was a terrible idea. Someone in Hotshot had most likely either killed or kidnapped my brother and I was walking in there alone on a dark, stormy night. It would be more than easy to snap my neck and throw my car into a tree and make it all look like a happy accident. Then again, someone out here had either killed or kidnapped my brother. I finally had a clue as to what had happened to him, and I wasn't going to let it slip away.

Either way, I shouldn't have run out here alone. There was Sam, but I didn't want to drag him into my troubles, despite the fact that he probably would've come willingly. The police were no good because I couldn't exactly key them in to why I suspected the people of Hotshot. The wind seemed to have died down a bit and I could see the road. My car was no longer perpendicular with it, and I thanked God I had stopped when I did because I was only feet away from going into a steep ditch. As I started to put my car back into gear, decidedly continuing on my crazy journey, I heard a loud 'thump' just outside the passenger side door. My head flipped to look, but it was so dark, it was hard to see anything. Then the door burst open and something jumped inside so fast, all I saw was a blur.

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Oooooo... who is it? : ) I promise you won't wait long to find out. Thank you all so much, again for the reviews. Really awesome.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: I told you I wouldn't make you wait long. : ) I enjoyed all of your guesses as to who/what it would be jumping in Sookie's car. Now you can find out if you were correct. Thanks for all of your reviews! I hope you enjoy!!

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_As I started to put my car back into gear, decidedly continuing on my crazy journey, I heard a loud 'thump' just outside the passenger side door. My head flipped to look, but it was so dark, it was hard to see anything. Then the door burst open and something jumped inside so fast, all I saw was a blur._

I screamed and instinctively began thrashing my arms in the direction of the thing that had entered my car. My wrists were effectively seized within seconds and my eyes, which seemed to have shut themselves in fear, popped open. "Jesus Christ-Shepherd of Judea!" I forced out in a rush.

"Just me, Lover," Eric said in a somewhat assuring tone. The other part was filled with a hint of annoyance.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, regaining my normal breathing pattern, "I thought you were going back to Shreveport."

"I did, but I wished to…" he licked his lips slowly, "Say goodnight to you properly. I found Pam ran things rather well in my absence. I was able to get away for a time." He released my wrists and I rubbed them a bit, holding them in my lap. "I was concerned when you didn't return home. Then I went to your workplace, and saw that you had left. I was able to track you here."

One of those perks that comes with dating (for lack of a better term) a vampire. They seem to always be able to find you for one reason or another. "Well, while I'm happy to see you, you probably shouldn't be here," I said regretfully. I was definitely regretting coming out here alone, but bringing a vampire along was sure to make me extremely unwelcome in Hotshot.

"If you're referring to the fact that you plan to put yourself in the company of weres, I find that only more reason why I should be here," he responded, with an edge to his voice. He didn't appear happy I'd come out here in the first place.

I took a deep breath, "I don't know if Pam filled you in on this or not, but my brother, Jason, has been missing almost since you lost your memory. The short story is that I'm pretty certain that one of these weres is responsible. Calvin, their leader, is somewhat fond of me. I'm hoping he'll know something or at least be willing to help me out. But I don't know that your presence will put him in a sharing and friendly mood."

Eric seemed to ponder this for a moment, "I suppose that's true. Once we get close I'll stay far enough away that they won't detect me, but I'm not leaving you."

"Okay, fair enough," I said, my heart warming at his last words.

"Switch places with me. My eyesight and reflexes are far superior to yours," he said simply, just stating a fact. I glared at him briefly, but moved anyway, because I was honestly relieved to let him do the driving.

Eric took over and did a good job of keeping me alive, despite the fact that he drove in a way that felt very reckless. Once the crossroads was in sight, Eric slowed the car down and put it in park.

"You know that if he's here and alive, I could most certainly find him and get him out. I could even do it without killing any of them if you wanted," Eric said without emotion. When he looked me in the eyes, I saw that he was silently asking me to let him do that.

"As pleasant and easy as that sounds… I wouldn't get any answers that way. Plus, I don't want to make an enemy out of Calvin by going around him." I put my hand over one of his, "We have to do it this way. I'll be fine."

Eric nodded in response, "I figured you would say that." He then kissed me swiftly and whispered, "And yes, you will be fine, because if a were so much as looks at you wrong, I will not hesitate." I gulped as he vanished out the door just as quickly as he'd appeared.

I climbed back across the seats and carefully made my way to Calvin's house. Hopefully, I was about to find out what happened to my brother. Hopefully, he was still alive. Hopefully, Eric wouldn't kill anyone.

As I scaled the stairs to Calvin's front door, I couldn't help but scan my surroundings trying to find Eric. I did not succeed. I knocked and Calvin answered, smiling broadly at me, despite the late, unannounced house call, but he faltered soon after. It was likely due to the fact that I had put on my uncomfortable, automatic smile to hide how nervous I was. He invited me inside and I shook the snow off of me before entering. I felt both anxious and comforted by the fact that I would have to invite Eric inside for him to be of any help to me now.

"What brings you out here in this awful weather?" Calvin asked in a reserved but polite tone. It was obvious from the circumstances that he wouldn't like the answer. I took a breath, choosing my opening question and the words to phrase it very carefully.

"Were you aware that panther tracks were found outside my brother's home next to his boot after he disappeared?" I asked, deciding to get straight to the point.

"No," he answered. He didn't say much, but he was thinking faster than he could keep up with. He was trying just as hard as I was to connect the dots in his mind. I'd really thrown him off with that question, so I could tell he wasn't lying. Once again, one of the only people who would've benefitted from this knowledge didn't seem to have it.

"I just learned of your identity this evening," I said slowly, sounding the least accusatory I could manage. The mounting tension in the room was palpable.

Calvin looked at me then, and I wished he hadn't. His eyes had grown rounder, cat-like, and the fact that he became a panther was blindingly apparent. s"And you think one of us is responsible for your brother's disappearance." As scared as I was of him transforming before my eyes, I kept his gaze, silently confirming his statement.

"Felton," he said with a mixture of reluctance and perfect clarity. I nodded, having already placed him at the top of my list. Calvin simply grabbed his coat off of a hook and said, "Let's go." I followed him silently across the yards to Felton's house.

The entire matter played out in what felt like seconds and I took off running as soon as I heard him say where Jason was. My eyes were somewhat clouded with tears and I almost fell over a log pile that was hidden under inches of snow, but I kept moving. When I reached the shed, I pulled the door open so hard I almost tore it off. For a second, I just stood and stared. Jason was there and he was breathing. He looked absolutely retched, but he was alive. I collapsed on the floor beside him, "Jason!"

My hands were on his face and his eyes blinked open to look at me with disbelief, "Sookie? Is that really you?" I could only nod; the words were caught in my throat and I hugged him to me. My eyes began scanning him for damage and I saw the bite marks covering his bare chest and arms. A fury began to rise up within me and I turned to the door where Calvin now stood with a good grip on Felton.

"You bit him," I practically growled.

"She only liked him because he was human," he spat, "He's no good to her now."

The disgust I felt for the entire situation was so overwhelming, I nearly threw up. "Get him out of my sight," I said through clenched teeth.

"He will be punished," Calvin promised, and although his voice was placid, I could feel the murderous rage in his mind. It was comforting to me then, knowing Felton would truly be punished in the worst way. "Will you still go to the police?"

This was a lot to absorb in a limited amount of time with my emotions running high. I tried to steady myself as I answered, "No. He acted alone. And if he did succeed… my brother will need you." Calvin only nodded before dragging Felton off into the night.

"I need to get you out of here. You're freezing," I said softly, tears on the verge of spilling over. I tried to maneuver myself to help him stand, but couldn't find a good angle to go at it from.

"Allow me," Eric said, stooping down and lifting him as if he were a sack of potatoes. To my relief, Jason only made a couple anguished moans. Once he was settled, I covered him in the blanket he'd been laying on.

As we were walking briskly to my car, to avoid running into Calvin and also to get out of the snow, I had a thought. "Could you fly him home?" I asked suddenly.

He hesitated a moment before answering, seeming taken aback by my question, "Yes, I could, but I won't because that would leave you to drive yourself."

"Eric, I can handle driving. I'll go slow. But I want him at my house as soon as possible getting warm and better. You can get him there faster than I can blink… Please." I said, my words coming out fast as we came to stand next to my car.

Eric stared me down angrily for a few moments to see if I would falter. When I didn't, he supported Jason with one arm and reached in his pocket. "Take this," he handed me a cell phone. "I will most likely know if something is wrong, but I want you to have this in case. Call your home if anything happens... I will stay there and babysit."

I smiled just a little at his exasperated tone, "Thank you. And since I'll be a bit longer, would you mind just helping him by running a warm bath? Not too hot, to help slowly get his temperature back up." I knew I was pushing it, but Jason was in some terrible shape. At the moment, I was grateful he seemed out of it. Even in his current state, he may have been embarrassed by my asking that.

Eric raised one eyebrow at me skeptically and I gave him my best puppy dog eyes. He closed his own eyes and pursed his lips, before looking at me very steadily. "You owe me. And I will be collecting on that very soon."

My body shivered with cold and a bit of anxious anticipation for what my payback would be. I didn't mind owing Eric so much now that I was already having sex with him. Paying him back for a favor was incredibly pleasurable on my end, as well.

"Thank you," I said again with the utmost sincerity. He nodded, seeming to be rather frustrated with how this evening had turned out. This had not been what he'd come back to see me for.

I took one of Jason's hands and squeezed. His weary eyes met mine and I said, "You'll be safe with Eric, I promise. Just hold on if you can. I'll see you soon." Jason showed little recognition other than to let go of my hand and grasp Eric's shirt.

"Be careful, dear one." Eric managed to lean over and kiss me on the forehead quickly before lifting off into the sky with Jason. I couldn't follow them far with my eyes, as they soon disappeared into the white of the snow.

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Yay! Let me know what you think. I had an interesting time trying to meld my story with CH's. There were certain parts I wanted to keep similar, but I also wanted to move it all along a bit. Next chapter is already in the works... Please review! I love, love, love, love it! It's like Christmas everyday when I get to come read my reviews. : )


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: The Sookie Stackhouse characters do not belong to me. They are Charlaine Harris'.

Author's Note: Hey everyone! Thanks as always, to all of my reviewers. You all gave me some wonderful Christmas presents with your lovely reviews. It makes me happier than you know just knowing you like it. : ) I hope you all have had a wonderful holiday. Mine was unfortunately busier than "life as usual" it seemed, which is why this took so long. Enjoy the chapter! It's all new stuff, as in not storyline from the original book. Let me know what you think. Happy New Year!

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"_Be careful, dear one." Eric managed to lean over and kiss me on the forehead quickly before lifting off into the sky with Jason. I couldn't follow them far with my eyes, as they soon disappeared into the white of the snow._

It was a long, somewhat nerve-wracking drive home, but I made it unscathed. I scurried up the stairs trying not to slip, but also in an anxious hurry to make sure Jason was okay. I trusted Eric, but I didn't know how good he was at taking care of humans. I was sure he was very out of practice. When I entered the kitchen, Eric was seated at the table, sipping a bottle of TrueBlood. Momentarily, a flashback of Debbie sitting in nearly the same position with a gun burned in my mind. I froze with wide eyes, taking a deep breath in through my nose to calm myself, hoping he hadn't noticed me flinch. I busied myself with removing my coat and shoes and he stood, breeching the space between us.

"How's Jason?" I asked, looking up into his deep blue eyes.

"He's laying in the bath. I just checked on him before you arrived. I asked if he wanted anything to eat or drink, but he said no. Not that I would've necessarily been able to follow through on my offer," he shrugged and I took a step back. The close proximity was affecting my brainwaves, and I needed to focus on my brother. There was also the need to hinder his ability to kiss me. If I didn't, it would mean him remembering how I'd killed a woman only feet from where we now stood.

"Thanks again for your help," I said with a gracious smile as I walked over to a cabinet to get a glass. Jason was most likely very dehydrated and I planned to make him drink some water whether he'd asked for it or not.

I filled the glass with water, feeling Eric's arms snake around my waist. He kissed lightly up and down my neck, "I will be asking something in return."

Nervously, I turned in his arms holding on tightly to the glass, "I have no doubt you will, but right now my brother is my top priority."

"Of course," he said and released me with a final kiss to my forehead. I fought the shivers of pleasure running through me as I walked away from him and down the hall. It was quiet inside the bathroom, so I knocked softly.

"Yes, Eric, I'm still alive in here," was the response. Jason sounded almost like himself, which made me smile.

I cracked the door open just a crack, "I'm glad to hear it."

"Oh, hey Sook," he said sheepishly. I poked my head in the door carefully and saw he already looked ten times better. Color had returned to his face and I could see it because he'd cleaned off the dirt and grime. He had scrubbed himself very clean. I knew the feeling of trying so hard to get something off of you—out of you—even though you knew it existed within you so much deeper than your skin.

"I brought you some water. It'd be a good idea for you to drink it." I said it in a way that he would know was less a suggestion and more an order. "Let me know if you need anything else." The glass made a loud clinking sound when I set it down on the countertop. I smiled at him before starting to close the door and give him some privacy.

"Sookie…" he started, and I stuck my head back inside. "Could you just sit in here for a bit? I, uh, I'd like the company."

To say I was startled would be an understatement, considering the lack of closeness in our relationship, but despite that it took only a second to understand his request. Slowly, I stepped inside and sat on the closed toilet seat. It felt awkward for more than one reason, but I couldn't say no.

After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Jason spoke, "So, Eric's still here. Is he still memory-less? He didn't say a whole lot to me, other than to ask if I was still alive, of course."

Well, leave it to Jason to open a big can of worms right off the bat. Still, I smiled a little at Eric's treatment of Jason. It didn't surprise me a bit that he hadn't made small talk. My smile faded when I remembered what he'd asked me. "No, the curse was reversed," I answered, looking down at my hands.

"Has he paid you yet?" he asked incredulously.

My head snapped up at this. I hadn't even remembered the money with everything going on. "No, he hasn't."

"Well, I'm holding him and that lady Pam to it. They'd better pay you every cent. You deserve it. You saved his life," he said with the utmost confidence. He reached forward and turned on the hot water.

"And he saved mine," I responded, without missing a beat. I had resorted to staring at my hands again.

He leaned back against the tub and I felt his eyes on me, "Why do I suddenly feel like I'm missing something?"

"A lot happened while you were gone." My voice was quiet and I was stubbornly answering him without telling him what he really wanted to know.

"You and Eric happened… I saw him kiss you earlier tonight, when I thought he was still cursed or whatever. He had seemed pretty attached to you even in the beginning when I saw him, so I didn't think it was weird. But he's back to normal now, right? And you guys are still…?" he said, rambling as I ran my hands through my hair.

"He's back to normal, in a way. He remembers some of what happened while he was cursed… During which time we were…. together. But now… It's all very confusing. I don't know what we are." The palms of my hands rubbed against my eyes, trying to work out the weariness I felt. Jason remained silent and when I opened my eyes, I saw that he had started to fall asleep. "Jason," I said softly. He twitched slightly and looked at me through hooded eyes. "You should get dried up and go to bed. Do you think you can make it okay?"

He seemed to test out his muscles, "Yeah, I should be okay." He leaned forward to turn the water off.

"Don't forget to drink the water," I reminded him as I opened the door to exit.

"Thanks, Sookie. For everything," he said softly and his voice seemed to catch in his throat. I looked to see that his eyes were slightly watery.

"Of course. Goodnight, Jason." I closed the door behind me and let out a huge sigh. I went to my old bedroom and pulled out a pair of sweats and a t-shirt that Jason had bought for Eric. I laid them, along with an extra blanket, out on the bed for him. When I had finished, my feet began travelling back towards the kitchen. The second I stepped inside, I was nearly blindsided by Eric.

"I came back from Shreveport to kiss you goodnight… and my patience has run out," he said only inches from my face. Just as he closed in on me, the chair that he had pushed out in his haste to come to me flickered into view. For a flash, Debbie was in it and the room went red with her blood. My mind panicked as Eric's arms pulled me flush against him and his lips seared mine. I pressed my hands against his chest and pushed as my survival instincts kicked in. My strength must have been so miniscule to him that he hardly noticed, because he kept on kissing me until I bit his lip so hard I drew blood. He broke away momentarily, staring at me first with confusion and then lust. Sure enough, I felt the blood dripping down my chin.

"Why are you fighting me, lover?" he asked seductively, as he bent in to lick the blood off of my face.

I gulped, "I'm not fighting. It's just… Could we go somewhere else?" I was praying that in his current mood, he'd just agree and not look into what I'd said. He was too smart for that.

"Why can't I kiss you right here?" he asked, kissing my face and neck as if to prove his point.

"My brother…" I started, but just then I heard a door click shut and I knew he'd gone to bed. Eric raised one eyebrow at me skeptically. I tried again. "It's been a really, really long day and I'm exhausted. My bed is calling me."

He eyed me, very suspicious, "I know this is true, but there's something else. You're very anxious to get out of this room. I can feel it. What happened here?" I looked up at him, stunned into silence by his ability to read my feelings. How could I respond? I couldn't deny something had happened here, because he already knew something had because he'd had my blood, and I, his. Surprisingly, a tiny part of me actually felt relieved at telling him. The rest was absolutely terrified at the thought. He had the power to either comfort me by taking part of the burden of this memory from me, or torment me by holding it over my head for the rest of my life. This would be so much worse than owing him for helping Jason. When I didn't speak, Eric continued.

"I found brain matter on the shirt I wore back to Fangtasia. I intended on asking you about it sooner, but there wasn't an opportunity. At first, I'd tried to reason it was from the Witch War, but Pam seemed certain no guns had been involved; one of the few ways brains can leave their compartments. Combined with the sad state your winter coat is still in even after being washed, and your current reaction, I'm beginning to think you are the only one who can tell me what happened." I slumped down into the nearest chair, only missing the floor by centimeters.

"You saw my coat?" I asked, motionless.

"I took the liberty of looking for it after Jason was settled. I knew there had to be a reason for you going out in the cold so ill prepared," he said, towering above me. When I stayed frozen, my arms resting limp in my lap, Eric crouched before me with his hands on my thighs, "Tell me what happened, Sookie."

I shook my head. The words wouldn't come out of my mouth. It would be somewhat cowardly, but easier, to show him. With quivering hands, I pulled his face to mine and kissed him softly. His lips moved against me with great care, no longer driven only by lust. I was sure he could feel my fear, but there wasn't anything to be done about it at this point. It would be only seconds before he saw the horror with his own eyes.

He stopped kissing me and inhaled deeply. His hands gripped my thighs tightly, as tears came out of my eyes. As I felt him remember, I remembered it all too clearly. The sight was the most gruesome thing I had ever seen, and I'd seen some awful things lately.

Not a moment too soon, Eric released his grip on me and looked up into my eyes. I couldn't fully decipher his expression, but he seemed shocked. "What did I do with her?" he asked. It seemed the experiment held true and he couldn't remember beyond what had occurred in this space.

I shook my head and tried to stop crying, "I don't know."

"Neither do I. And that's probably for the best," he responded quickly. Without another word, he wrapped his arms around me and carried me to my bedroom, placing me gently on the bed. When I refused to let go of him, he climbed in beside me and let me curl up tightly against him.

"I killed her," I whispered against his chest.

"You say it as if you had a choice. She would've killed you if you'd allowed her another breath, as I wouldn't have recovered quickly enough to stop a second bullet," he said, kissing my hair. "You did what was necessary. She should've been taken care of long ago." He was echoing statements my Eric had given me, and coming from the real Eric, they managed to sound even better. I was afraid he would threaten me with this knowledge, but I got only comfort and assurance.

"I'm so glad I let you come home with me last night." As I said the words, I realized just how long today had been.

"Let me?" he questioned and I felt him smile.

"I tried to leave without you after the Witch War. I didn't think you'd notice, but you found me." Sleep was fighting its way into every part of me and it was becoming difficult to speak much at all.

"Well then, I am also very glad you let me come home with you. I don't wish to think of what would've occurred in my absence," he said ominously.

We both knew what would've happened, and I silently appreciated him not voicing it. He kissed my forehead before crawling out of bed. I was too tired at this point to protest. I heard him opening drawers and rummaging around before finally returning to me. He slid his arm under my back and held me up to remove my coat and long-sleeved t-shirt. I felt him pull one of my nightgowns over my head before laying me back down and removing my work pants. He lifted all of me off of the bed for a second, pulling the covers back and placing me under them. Even in my half-slumber, I was aware enough to be amazed by the ease with which he did this.

My eyes popped open when he didn't immediate crawl in beside me, but I saw he was simply placing my clothes on the chair by my bed. He was beside me the next second and I became as physically close to him as possible. He wrapped the blankets around us and I was perfectly content and warm. I was torn between wanting to stay awake and savor what would, with the return to reality, become a rare sweet moment with Eric and passing out. Unfortunately, after only a few minutes I was out cold. I slept with the soothing knowledge that I was not alone and that I was safe and my brother was safe, even if only for a few precious hours.

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Thanks for reading! Make my day and review!!! : )


	7. Chapter 7

_I was torn between wanting to stay awake and savor what would, with the return to reality, become a rare sweet moment with Eric and passing out. Unfortunately, after only a few minutes I was out cold. I slept with the soothing knowledge that I was not alone and that I was safe and my brother was safe, even if only for a few precious hours._

One of the men in my life was gone when I woke. I jolted up, suddenly aware of how alone I was in my bed, even in sleep. I took a moment to touch the side of the bed I remembered Eric having been on when I fell asleep, despite the fact that no evidence remained to attest to it. As I thought of Eric being gone, I remembered that I had gotten Jason back. That put me quickly into motion and I scrambled out of bed, threw on a robe and hurried across the hall. I slowly and quietly creaked open the door to see that he was still asleep. In the harsh light of day, his bruises and cuts were all the more apparent, and I could tell they were plentiful, despite only being able to see his face and arms. I decided to give him some more time to sleep and went to make coffee and something for breakfast.

A pot of coffee had been brewed, a couple pieces of bread were toasting and two bowls of instant cinnamon oatmeal were finished cooking if the beeping timer on the microwave was any indication. I hit the stop button as quickly as possible, hoping not to rudely awaken my sleeping brother with its annoying sound. I was tossing the toast onto a plate, trying not to burn my fingers, when he shuffled into the kitchen a few minutes later. He had on the sweatpants I'd laid out for him and the extra blanket was wrapped around his shoulders. I was reminded of the drunk, homeless people I'd seen meandering about in places like Shreveport. When he staggered a bit I started to postpone getting breakfast ready and come help him sit down, but he waved me off with, "I'm fine." I stayed at the counter, but watched him over my shoulder unblinking until he was safely in a seated position. I quickly moved the food to the table along with some condiments and poured him a cup of coffee. As he stared at the food, somewhat unsure of how to handle it, I ran to the bathroom for some aspirin. If his walking abilities were any sign, he was still in quite a bit of pain. When I came back to the table he had the cup of coffee up to his lips and was taking a slow, cautious drink. I sat down across from him, hesitant and cautious of his mood and his health, opened the bottle and slid it to him. He took it without a second's pause and shook out two pills.

After he'd taken them, he stared at the toast for a few moments, "I'm sorry, Sook, but I just don't know if I can eat anything right now." I saw nausea pass through his facial features and reached across to remove the food from his sight. The toast and oatmeal went right back on the counter I'd taken it from. Seeing his scars in the harsh light of day was messing with my appetite as well. I got him a glass of water and returned to my seat. We sat in silence sipping our drinks, sharing in each other's myriad (another Word of the Day) of emotions. Relief was high on my list considering he was alive and sitting here. Fear was second, considering there was a strong probability my brother was now going to turn into a panther a few days each month. That could easily not go well.

Quickly, I decided to focus on the now. There was still time before the full moon, so I thought I deserved a little time to just be glad to still have a brother. I reached across the table and took Jason's hands in mine, "It feels really good to have you back. I'm so glad you're alright. You had me all kinds of worried."

Jason smiled, at first uncomfortable with the topic, but then his lips turned up in a signature smirk, "Awe, you were probably so distracted with your new, pretty, blonde boyfriend, you hardly noticed I was gone."

It was hard to resist the urge to smack him playfully on the arm, "That is not true! The people at the police station have been driven nearly mad with all my phone calls…" Mid laugh I froze, my smile faltering, "The police." I smacked my forehead, "We have to tell them you're back." I looked up to see Jason grimace, but say nothing. "Any brilliant ideas? You seemed full of them before you disappeared."

He took a big swig of water. "I'd go with at least a partial truth, but I seem to remember you taking away that option," he glared and it was obvious he was more than a tad bitter about that decision being made for him.

"It was the best possible outcome of a terrible situation, Jason. This way he gets punished in the worst way possible for what he did to you. What actually happened to you would be pretty difficult to explain to the police. Crazy enough that they might lock you up instead of him," I reminded him.

Jason nearly rolled his eyes and shrugged, "Yeah I 'spose you're right."

I smiled a little before continuing, "And this way, we keep good relations with Calvin and his pack. Something that's going to be very important in a couple weeks."

"What's in a couple weeks?" Jason asked, an equal mixture of confusion and fear.

I pursed my lips, "The full moon."

"And you're sure that… that I'll become one of them?" his voice shook just slightly.

"How did you…?" I started, surprised he'd caught on to that possibility.

"Felton made it very clear the reason he was doing what he did. He told me over and over that he was going to make me like him so Crystal wouldn't want me anymore," he looked down at the table.

"I'm so sorry Jason," I took his hand and squeezed it briefly, "There's no way of knowing for sure. We just have to wait and see. Calvin will be with you to help you if you do," I said, trying to be calm, comforting.

Jason scoffed, "Yeah, like I'd take help from one of them. Like I can go back out there and pretend like it wasn't them who did this to me."

"Calvin's a good man. I can't believe he or anyone else in Hotshot knew what was going on. Besides, you'll need them," I said assuredly, finally nibbling on a piece of toast.

"I don't need nobody. I can take care of myself, thank you," he said as if he were a five year old. All he needed to complete the picture was to stomp his feet, as he was already pouting with his arms crossed tightly over his chest.

"Well then, I guess you can call the police and explain the situation then. Saves me the trouble of coming up with a story," I smirked internally, knowing how quickly I'd change his attitude.

"Ah, now don't be like that," he whined. I refused to look at him, taking the last bite of my toast and standing to take my dishes to the sink. "Please, Sook. Help me out," he begged. But I had to drag it out just a bit longer, so I left the kitchen with him following behind me. I made it past the door to his room before I heard an exasperated sigh and turned to face him before he could say another word.

I smiled warmly at him, "Alright I'll help you. It's gonna take both of us to come up with something that'll stick."

Jason asked if we could station our brainstorm in the spare bedroom as he was starting to feel a little queasy. I quickly agreed and we set to talking out our possible scenarios. It took us a long time to come up with anything. Both of our brains were fried from the past week's experiences, so coming up with an elaborate scheme proved essentially impossible. In the end, the only thing we came up with that didn't make Jason sound like he should be put away in a mental facility or gave the people of Hotshot away was having him claim to remember nothing. I called the dispatcher, who was apparently screening my calls at this point, as she turned me down before even issuing a greeting, "Sookie, dear. I told you we'd call as soon as we heard anything about your brother."

"I have him here with me," I said calmly and slowly so that she'd be able to process the information.

"What? You mean Jason's with you?" she asked a little too loudly and I had to pull the phone away from my ear.

"Yep." I put the phone in front of my face to reply.

"I'll send someone over right away!" and with that, she hung up on me and all we could do was wait anxiously for our visitors who would have too many questions.

While we waited, I stressed how important it was to stick to our story of his not remembering. If we gave them anything, they'd have reason to start looking for who did it. Neither of us wanted any innocent people to be accused and we couldn't have the guilty get caught either. So we had to stay silent.

When Alcee and Andy showed up, we were as ready as we were ever going to be. I had thankfully noticed the temporary, but gracious, fix-up job Eric had done on the front door in time to take out the nails holding it shut. It wasn't a nice enough day, by any means, to have the door just propped open without seeming odd, but it looked considerably less suspicious than it did falling off its hinges with a section nearly broken out. The two officers strode purposefully into my living room without saying a word. Their faces said it all when they saw Jason, beaten and bruised on the couch. It was as if they were seeing a ghost.

"Jason! What the hell happened to ya?" Andy bellowed, before clearing his throat and trying to calm himself. "I mean, I'm glad to see you turned up…" I could tell that his brain finished that sentence with 'alive' and not just because I could read mind.

"Yeah, Andy, I'm glad I turned up, too," Jason tried to smile, but it must have hurt because he winced a second later.

They both looked uncomfortable, and I stepped in to break the silence, "Can I get you two anything? A lemonade? Tea?"

Alcee spoke, coldly, "No, thank you," and Andy just shook his head. They moved to sit opposite Jason, so I went to sit next to him on the couch. Mainly so I could pinch him if he got off track.

Andy got right to it, "Jason, you tell us who did this to you and we'll get them. I swear it."

Jason closed his eyes and sighed, "That's the problem… Andy I wish I could tell you who done this to me, but… I don't know."

"You don't know?" Andy asked, confused, but already on the brink of anger. "What do you mean you don't know?"

"I mean, all I remember is hearing something rustling outside while I was eating dinner with Crystal, going out to check what it was and BAM! Lights out," he said. Both Andy and Alcee jumped when Jason imitated getting hit on the head.

Andy raised his eyebrows, "That's it? You must've woken up at some point! How'd you get here?"

Jason shrugged, "I don't really know. I just woke up on the side of the road like this. I could barely move, between all this and the snow, but I tried to. I saw where I was and knew I was only maybe a mile from Sook's. So I tried to get to her." He scratched his neck and the blanket slipped showing even more scars and bruises on his torso. Andy was staring, unbelieving, with a slack jaw.

I took this as my cue, re-covering Jason gently, "I was on my way home from work. I was driving real slow because of the storm and I saw him. He stood out against all of the white. I thank God I saw him, because I know he wouldn't have made it to my place and he wouldn't have survived the night out there."

Andy seemed to ignore all of this information, and chose to focus on one particular point, "So you don't remember anything about the person or people who did this to you?"

"Nothin'," and I was grateful he stopped at that.

His eyes narrowed at Jason and he jumped up from the couch suddenly, "Do you know how many man hours we spent looking for you? And you, I know you were really worried about him. And you're going to sit there and lie to me!"

Jason winced again, this time from a different source of pain. "Andy, I-"

"Don't bother. Alcee, let's go. I'm not wasting another second of our time on this piece of shit," and with that he stormed toward the door.

Jason jumped to his feet, enraged. "Don't you think I'd tell you who did this to me if I could?" He was clad in only a pair of gym shorts, and he was a gruesome sight to behold. I instantly wanted to cover him up, I couldn't bare the sight and if you looked close enough you could tell that the majority of the sores were bite marks. Andy was already suspicious enough. Fortunately, the sight as a whole had made quite an impact and the officers had the decency to look ashamed. But a mere moment later Andy gritted his teeth and stalked out without another word, Alcee right behind him.

I pulled my trembling brother back to the couch. We didn't speak and eventually he fell into an exhausted sleep. I had a feeling he'd be doing a lot of that in the near future.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: The Sookie Stackhouse characters do not belong to me. They are Charlaine Harris'.

Author's Note: I'm a terrible author. I've left you all without update for months too many times. My only excuse is that I'm planning my wedding. It's good one, but not really good enough. I hope you enjoy and don't hate me too much. : )

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_I pulled my trembling brother back to the couch. We didn't speak and eventually he fell into an exhausted sleep. I had a feeling he'd be doing a lot of that in the near future._

Later that afternoon, as dark was falling, Jason finally woke up and hobbled into the kitchen where I sat reading my book, a typical (for me) trashy romance novel. He leaned casually against the wall next to the water heater, acting somewhat more like himself, even if he still didn't look it. "Man, Sook, how long did ya let me sleep?" he asked before letting out a big yawn and stretching his arms.

"I thought you deserved it," I responded only glancing up at him. In my peripheral vision I saw him rolling his neck to get out the kinks from sleeping a bit funny on the couch. Suddenly his head stopped at a funny angle and he reached behind the water heater. Instinctively I jumped, almost falling out of my chair.

"What are you doing with this?" he asked, shock and anger mixing on his face as he stared me down.

It took me a second to get over the fear of seeing that gun even slightly pointed in my direction, as I sat so near to the place I'd shot someone with it, before I said, "After you disappeared… I was alone here with Eric, with people coming for him. So I took it."

He squinted at me, lifted it to eye level, thankfully now pointed safely out the back door, and broke it open, "You fired it." It was a statement but somehow when he looked at me I could tell he wanted me to tell him he was mistaken. I simply looked right back at him, unmoving. He glared a bit deeper, trying to incite a response, but I found that this was another instance where I didn't want to lie, but couldn't tell the truth. I managed to hold out longer than him and finally he broke the stare down. "Well, I guess it did what it was supposed to," he said, looking me up and down before closing the shot gun and placing it out in the open near the doorway.

I, meanwhile, tried to keep the nausea from showing on my face. Suddenly, being in the kitchen wasn't very appealing and I hardly knew why I'd chosen to sit in there to begin with. I must have been getting better at compartmentalizing my brain than I'd dreamed possible.

Jason was pacing slowly and looking like he might come join me at the table and glare at me some more to force the information out of me. I stood up, meeting his irritated gaze, "I need you to take it home, clean it, reload it and never ask me about this again." I almost choked on the words and, though he is sometimes not quick on the uptake, he understood me completely just then. His facial expression flashed to one close to horror, before he quickly covered it up and nodded. "Okay," he said, having to force a small smile as he put one hand on my shoulder. I smiled back before walking out of the kitchen, a room that had seen far too much death, down the hall and into my room. I could feel darkness coming and wanted to spruce up a bit before Eric came.

I had planned on taking Jason home before nightfall, but hadn't considering I'd been unwilling to wake him up. Eric most likely wouldn't be able to stay long, having some business to attend to at Fangtasia, and I'd just have to take Jason home on my way in to work later, or maybe I'd let him stay one more night. I was just running a brush through my hair when I heard a knock at the back door. Setting it down, I tried not to seem too eager as I walked/ran to greet him. I opened the door to see him smiling at me and then he pulled me into his arms. It was a comfort I felt nowhere else than when I was enveloped by him. Complete safety. He would, and could full well, protect me from anything.

"Miss me?" he asked, speaking it into my hair and I felt the smirk on his lips.

I smacked him playfully and pulled back. Apparently I hadn't hid my anticipation very well. "You don't have to be so cocky about it." After I said it I almost smacked myself as well, considering the direction he could now very easily take the conversation.

But he surprised me and looked at me with complete sincerity and seriousness, essentially ignoring my comment, "I missed you." He ran his hand across my cheek and back through my hair, "After everything that happened, it was very… difficult to leave you at dawn." The way he paused made it clear that he didn't feel that 'difficult' was a strong enough term.

My lip twinged slightly in an attempt to smile as I instinctively tried to reassure him, "I'm fine, really. Jason's home and he's okay, at least for now. And well, that other problem just… disappeared, so hopefully I can just forget it ever happened." I was grossly overestimating my ability to forget, and to spite me, my brain flashed a few pictures of blood and internal organs splattered across my kitchen table.

Eric knew better than to be convinced, but he didn't tell me I was wrong. "I just worry about you. We don't have the time to talk about it in depth now, but very soon I would like to discuss your moving in with me." His face stayed calm, but there was something, maybe in how he said it, or the look in his eyes, but something told me this was a request that had not before crossed his lips.

My jaw dropped at the abruptness of it, how completely out of left field the question felt. True, he had lived with me for a few days, but moving in together? That was a big step, especially when it was with a vampire. But before I could even start thinking of how to respond, there was a knock at the door. Our eyes snapped to each other and his hand instinctively reached for the shotgun and re-hid it in the time it took me to blink. "It's a were," he whispered. I gulped and turned to walk to the door with Eric following closely. Jason was already in the hallway approaching the door. As I watched him try to subtly open the door in a normal fashion, I realized how important it was that I fix it as soon as possible. On the other side of the door stood Amanda and my heart stopped. Thankfully I didn't have to look happy to see her, but I did try to hide my terror. I felt Eric's hand on the low of my back give me the strength to move forward.

"Amanda. Can I help you?" I said, allowing a snide tone to hide just barely below the surface. Well, maybe it wasn't really hiding.

Jason took this as a cue and opened the door to let her inside. She didn't look comfortable, but she was calm, un-confrontational. Her face was almost apologetic when she looked at me, "Look, I know I wasn't very… friendly the last time we met. But I'm on official pack business, so I promise to be polite."

I nodded, "Come on in. Have a seat."

And then she looked toward Eric, who was still standing, stoic behind me, "Good to have you back in your right mind, vampire." He nodded almost imperceptibly at her as we walked into the living room.

Just as I saw Jason about to introduce himself to Amanda, I interjected. "Amanda, this is my brother Jason. You'll have to excuse him, though. He was just going to bed; he isn't feeling well," I said, smiling at them both.

Jason looked at me like just like I'd expect for embarrassing him in front of a girl, but thankfully went with it, "Yeah, I guess I'll go lay down for a bit and let y'all talk." And after a moment of pause to give me a chance to take it back and let him stay, he exited to the guest bedroom.

"So, I guess I'll get right to it. Debbie's family has reported her missing," Amanda said with little fanfare.

My throat closed up and all I managed was to make my eyebrows raise in question. Eric stayed rock steady next to me, frozen as a statue.

Amanda continued, "No one's seen her since the fight with the witches the other night."

I managed to swallow the lump in my throat and speak, "And what does that have to do with me?"

"Well, I know as well as anyone that you two avoid each other like the plague, but we've been sent out to ask everyone that was there that night. Just in case they talked to her, so we could maybe get a lead," she elaborated with a shrug. "If you ask me, she probably ran off somewhere on account of what went down between her and Alcide. I'm sure she'll turn up sooner or later."

I took a breath, relieved to hear that this visit was just routine and I wasn't being singled out, "Yeah, I haven't seen her since that night. I have no idea where she is." I gave myself a silent pat on the back for managing both a truthful and appropriate response.

"That's what I figured. And we all know that you were less than yourself at the time of her last sighting…," Amanda's eyes drifted to Eric.

"Correct. I am also in possession of no knowledge as to Debbie Pelt's whereabouts. Although, I can say, from both personal and relayed knowledge, that I am less than anguished to hear of her disappearance," he said, keeping his gaze cool and putting his arm across the back of the couch behind me.

"Good to have you back," Amanda smirked, "Well, I'll get out of your hair. I have some more investigating to do before I can call the case closed from our end." She stood up and nodded to the both of us. I smiled a small smile and nodded back, following her to the door. Amanda gave a little wave and walked out the door, down the steps and out of sight. With much effort, I closed the door, trying to set it back on its hinges.

"I'll arrange for that to be fixed by sunrise," Eric said, leading me back to sit in the living room. "If there was any doubt before, your coat should be burned," he continued, "And for now, I think it's best we don't know where she or her car is located. We'll just have to hope that I was enough of myself to not leave any evidence behind." His eyes which had been so locked on my face, which was staring blankly at a spot on the carpet, finally took in the rest of me, "Are you working tonight?"

I nodded almost imperceptibly, "I have the late shift again."

"I will reserve my thoughts on your employment situation… for now. We can revisit it later when we discuss our living arrangement," he said with more than a little irritation.

I can't say it rubbed me the right way and I opened my mouth to protest it somehow, but he put a finger to my lips.

"I understand that you disagree. Now is not the time. I do not want to use our remaining moments arguing. Take some time to think it over and we'll talk when we're both calmer about the idea," he said, somewhat exasperated, but mostly soothing. The breath went out of me and I lost my fight, staring into his eyes.

"Okay," I said before glancing at the clock. "I'm running late, I need to leave now if I'm going to make it." I took his hand and kissed it before turning to grab my things. Eric wrapped his arms around me from behind, picked me up and twirled me in the air. He caught me facing him at eye level.

"Why don't I take you?" he smirked and I couldn't help smiling back before kissing him. He flew me to work with the promise of picking me up right on time when I was ready to go home. When we dropped down with a couple minutes to spare before my shift started, I thought it wouldn't be half bad to get air lifted to work every day.

I called him, exhausted, ready to be taken home once we'd finished cleaning up for the night. It wasn't until he strode inside minutes later, swooped me up in his arms and let me fall asleep in his arms that I realized I was being severely spoiled and didn't know how I'd ever go back to driving.

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**Anyone still reading this story deserves a cookie... If only I had a way to disseminate them to you all. :) Anyway, thanks if you're still tuning in. Try and forgive me for my absence.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! So as a thank you for all the wonderful reviews (this is now officially my most reviewed story ever! Squee!) I worked hard and got you another chapter already! I'm so grateful for both all of the new readers who've latched on and (especially) those of you who have stuck around and are still reading after my absence. Thank you also for the congrats on my upcoming wedding! We've got four and a half months to go. : ) You are all amazing and I wish I had the time to thank you all individually as I used to do. Instead I spent the time writing the below. I hope you enjoy!**

**NEW AN: I have made a slight modification to this chapter due to something being brought to my attention by a kind reviewer (Chloe). Something got a bit lost in translation due to my long writing hiatuses. :( That thing was Sookie and Eric officially deciding that they loved each other. It was in this chapter that I bungled it. Apologies for getting ahead of myself. **

**Disclaimer: Sookie Stackhouse and friends all belong to Charlaine Harris. I'm just playing with them for a bit.**

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_It wasn't until he strode inside minutes later, swooped me up in his arms and let me fall asleep in his arms that I realized I was being severely spoiled and didn't know how I'd ever go back to driving._

The next couple weeks flew by without much excitement. Eric continued to visit as much as he could and I often begged him to fly me to work. It made me feel incredibly lazy, but it was also sometimes the only moments we had to spend together. He stayed over on occasion, but usually had something to attend to at Fangtasia. He made it clear, through not-so-subtle hinting, that if I lived with him we'd have much more time with each other. Sometimes I even wondered if he intentionally stayed away more so that I would be even more convinced of moving in. It was hard to be mad at him for it though, because he always made up for time lost with sexual encounters that left me breathless and sometimes hardly able to walk.

One day during this time, I came home to find a check from Eric for $50,000 sitting on the kitchen table. I was shocked for quite a few reasons. Namely, that now that we were together, it felt a bit strange to be receiving a pay-off for taking care of him. When I called Fangtasia just after dark to yell at him for it, I got Pam.

"I know why you're calling. Just take the money and stop making a fuss," she said drolly.

"The deal was made under much different circumstances. I feel weird taking it now," I said with a sigh.

"A deal is a deal. Eric doesn't go back on his word. Do what you like with it, but don't try and give it back," she insisted.

I hung up, somewhat infuriated, and sat at the kitchen table staring at it. It wasn't like I didn't need the money. I did. Badly. But something about it just felt wrong. It was one thing for him to fix my driveway or get me a new coat. (My new cranberry colored wool peacoat was one of the nicest items of clothing I owned.) The costs were hidden and they seemed like reasonable enough gifts. This $50,000 was a different story.

Eric found me in that exact position, staring at the check, about an hour later. Pam must have told him I called, because he seemed more than prepared for the conversation.

"There's no reason to feel 'weird'," the way he said it ensures that it was a direct quote and in turn felt weird for him to say, "about this. The risks you took to protect me are more than worth the figure you requested."

"I didn't request anything!" I cried, suddenly embarrassed.

His eyes flashed in what almost looks like triumph before he said, "Pam insisted that you came up with the plan, but I had my suspicions."

I rolled my eyes, not exactly surprised that Pam would throw me under the bus. I liked to think she was fond of me in some way, but she's also very stubborn and prone to causing mischief. "Jason thought of it. I didn't shoot it down hard enough, so it was agreed upon."

He crossed the room to sit beside me, taking my hands, which still held the check, within his much larger ones, "Sookie, do you know how strongly I care for you?"

I had been staring at the table cloth, but looked up at him at this, "Yes. Why?"

"If you know I would do anything for you, no matter the reason, why does this bother you so much?" he asked with his blue eyes boring into me.

How was I supposed to answer something like that? I couldn't; so I just looked back down at our hands.

"Sookie, look at me." He still spoke to me in a loving way, but I could tell he wasn't asking. I forced myself to look at him again. "Everything I have is as good as yours. This is nothing compared to all that I want for you to have. For now, however, I fear this will have to do, as you continue to brush off further advancements."

He didn't have to elaborate for me to know he was referring to moving in together and me quitting Merlotte's. As much as those subjects were somewhat sore for me, I couldn't help but feel the desperation in his voice and soften. "Eric, you know a big part of me wants more. I'm just not ready to completely give up my life here. I just need a little more time," I said, dropping the check on the table so I could squeeze his hands between mine.

It was Eric who looked at the table then, but he shook his head resignedly. "Time is something I have."

I hesitated next, because I was still uncomfortable with it, but made a decision anyway, "And… I'll keep the money, if that's what you want."

He nodded again, "It is." There was a slight pause before he returned to the side topic, "I miss you. That's why I bring it up so much. I would like to see you more. Come home to you. Know that you are safe."

As he listed these things, I knew I wanted them too, but something was still holding me back, "I know. And I want all of those things, too. I miss you something terrible when we have to spend even a day apart. I just-"

"Need some time. I get it. I'll back off," he said, "but not for very long."

I smiled, because I figured as much. After that, he didn't even subtly bring up the subject for over a week. And when he finally did bring it up, even I couldn't blame him for it.

During that time, Jason recovered, at least for the most part. Physically he was back to normal, but the emotional damage would probably take a lot longer to heal. And then there was the waiting for the inevitable. I knew it was selfish, but I was glad when I finally got him back to his own house, because it gave me a break from all of the questions I could hardly answer. Somehow I knew that it was going to happen, maybe somehow my curse saw something. Whatever it was, even before that night came and he became a panther, I knew. The days that led up to the full moon were filled with anxiety until finally we were sitting in my kitchen only an hour before sun down. Jason was always filled with nervous energy, but he could hardly stay in his seat.

"Jason, you've got to calm down," I said again as he started pacing.

"Sook, I mean, are you sure?" his eyes are wild and his hands are on his hips.

I enjoyed a second of the calm silence before I nodded and crossed the room to him. "Jason, it's going to be okay," I took his hands, "You're not in this alone." Something seemed to click within him and I saw him resign to his fate. He swallowed and looked in my eyes, nodding back at me. "Okay. Let's go," I said and I gathered my things and ushered him to my car.

We drove off in the direction of Hotshot in silence. I had talked the subject to death and he was as prepared as he could be. He had some extra clothes, toothbrush, toothpaste and his cell phone that he would leave in a safe place. He was dressed in old clothes he didn't care about since we didn't know exactly what his transformation would entail. At the lone intersection, I stopped the car and looked at my brother. When he looked up from the floor, he had changed. The yellow eyes that stared back at me were not Jason's. I had seen so many different creatures, but none had affected me nearly as much as this one. Only my years of practice allowed me to keep the shock from showing.

Calvin Norris made his way over to our car, the only soul in sight. Jason grabbed up his things and said offhand, "My face feels funny." As he exited the car, I turned to Calvin who stood outside my open window.

"I'll take care of him," he said solemnly.

At the sight of the town and now Calvin, I found it hard to contain the mixture of fear and anger that boiled up. Even his sincere promise to guard over my brother did little to soften the edge in my voice, "Thank you."

"I'll take him home in the morning," he said, as Jason stood somewhat awkwardly on the sidewalk, trying to appear confident.

"Bring him to my house. He left his truck there," I said, staring intently at my brother.

Calvin nodded, "All right. We'll see you then." And with that I was no longer welcome. I was an outsider. So I turned the car around and drove home. The sun went down on my way and I felt my heart lighten to see my blonde Viking standing on my porch waiting for me. We hadn't had time to talk much about Jason's upcoming transformation, but he was well aware. It was easy enough to know that I would need him tonight. I turned off the car and jumped outside. I couldn't say how many steps I made before he wrapped me in his arms. There were no words and I was somehow transported to my couch. We sat there, me with my feet tucked under a pillow and my head on his chest and Eric running his hand up and down my arm. After he'd given me plenty of time without comment he tipped my chin up to look at me, "Can I get you anything?"

His eyes searched mine and the depth of his concern made me smile, "I'm okay." His hand cupped my face and he kissed my forehead. "I can go and make sure he's alright," he said with his lips moving against my skin, "He wouldn't even know I was there."

I had to seriously consider it a moment before I responded, "No. He'll be fine."

"Okay," he kissed me once more before letting my head nestle into his shoulder.

"Besides, I don't want you to leave. Even for a minute," I said, "I feel like I hardly ever see you for more than an hour at a time. I'll keep you here all night if I can."

"I made sure that I was free so that I could be here for you as long as you needed me," he said, running his fingers through my hair.

"I need you," I said, sitting up so that I was looking him in the eye, only a breath away from him. "Stay with me."

"Always," was his answer as his lips descended on mine. His arms quickly enveloped me and pulled me onto his lap. His hands worked their way up my back, pressing me tightly against his chest, gripping my shoulder blades. In a blink of an eye, both our shirts were on the floor and my skin, flaming hot, met with his and I gasped in shock and pleasure. Eric flipped me so that I was laying on the couch with him hovering over me. He paused for just a moment, looking me up and down before his eyes settled on mine. I allowed myself a good long look at him in return, his silky skin, his taut, engaged muscles. Eric Northman was the epitome (Word of the Day from yesterday) of what a man should look like. I could find no flaw in him and somehow he seemed to have the same feeling when he looked at me. My hands reached up to pull his face down to mine. Just simply the pressure of his body against mine made me shiver in anticipation. The agony and ecstasy of this never ceased to amaze me. Eric never ceased to amaze me and he surely didn't let me down that night.

We made love (twice) to each other like we hadn't since he regained his memories. There was a tenderness behind each and every touch, and a slow, methodical feel to his rhythm. During the time since Real Eric's return, we had had a whole lot of passionate, 'world is crashing down around us' sex. Our lack of time together lent itself to feelings which elicit that type of behavior. That night, however, was different. We had all night and we used it. When he touched me it felt like a feather or a breath of air across my skin. His kisses gave me chills up and down my spine as he moved his lips over every inch of me. And when we finally could last no longer and came crashing together simultaneously, crying out in pleasure, he curled up beside me and put his head on my shoulder. He was letting himself be vulnerable to me. There was still a strength that radiated from him, that made me feel safe and protected, but there was something else, too. I suddenly felt that somehow I had to protect him. From what, I couldn't say, but the feeling was there, just as it had been when I was the only thing in the world he thought he knew.

While he was stretched out beside me, he asked me to tell him about our time together when he'd lost his memory. Much of it he had seen recounted in his mind, but there were still gaps and I think he liked to hear it from me. I could tell that even though he remembered it happening, there was still a slight disconnect for him. So I told him our story. I told him parts he hadn't yet seen, like when I first picked him up on the side of the road, brought him back to the house and washed his feet. I told him how he'd offered to leave everything, get another job and take care of me. And how he rushed after me when the Witch War was over and I'd felt empty. I said how I was tired, but also more grateful than I could say that he'd found me, even before he saved my life. Finally despite the pain it cause I recounted how he saved my life from Debbie not once but twice that night. At that, he switched our positions and held me so tight to him I could hardly breathe.

I fought to stay awake as long as I could; committing the feelings and events to memory. I'd learned in the past few years that you never knew how much time you had with someone, and I wouldn't let myself forget that night. But eventually exhaustion won out, and I fell asleep holding onto Eric for dear life. My last fleeting thought was that one perk of moving in with Eric would be finally knowing what it was like to not wake up with the feeling of immense loss that always came when he was gone.

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**So... I have to decide how I'm going to play the rest of the narrative of Book 5 and do some advance planning, so the next chapter probably won't be as quick as this one. But reviews always help spur me onward! As always, thanks for reading.**


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note: I keep disappearing on you all and I apologize sincerely for it. I'm back again. I have a bit ready to go and I need to write something happy for Sookie and Eric after the depressing ending they were given in the books. I'll try not to desert you again for such long stretches of time. I know it's cruel. This is a short one, but I promise there's more soon to come.

Disclaimer: Sookie Stackhouse and characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I'm only borrowing them to ease my own sorrow.

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I woke up gasping for air after a nightmare I could only barely remember, that had something to do with being chased by my brother the werepanther. My arms groped the bed next to me before I realized it was light out and there would be nothing there. Involuntarily, my hand clenched around the sheet and my jaw tightened with the frustration. It was something I was going to have to address soon. I quickly realized what instigated my abrupt awakening when someone knocked on the door. And the manner in which they did it indicated they had been doing it for some time. I jumped up and threw on the first clothes I could find and ran to the front door. It took me almost a full minute to unlock the fancy new door. Jason was standing on the other side.

"Jesus Sook," he started, admonishing me for taking so long, but I threw my arms around him and practically took the wind out of him. Over Jason's shoulder I gave a small smile at Calvin who stood by his car, before pulling him inside. I pushed the door shut behind him and grabbed the sides of his face to share at him.

"Are you okay?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. I'd told myself all night that he would be just fine. It was only now that I realized I'd only half-believed myself. The bruises and cuts visible to my eyes didn't help calm my nerves.

Jason took my hands and brought down from his face, smiling just a little, "I'm okay." My shoulders sagged in relief as he continued, "I'm good, actually. That was incredible." I knew my eyebrows rose and betrayed the surprise I felt. Jason saw it before I could put my features back in place.

"I'm sorry, I just didn't-" I started to apologize, but he shook his head.

"I didn't expect it either, but it was amazing," he was smiling bigger now, "Feeling the magic of it running through my veins. Even though I didn't turn all the way like the others. What I was, it was awesome."

I allowed myself to smile with him, telling myself that while unexpected, this was a wonderful reaction for him to be having. "I'm really glad," was the most intelligent thing I could muster.

"Yeah. All that worrying and it wasn't so bad after all," he said, simplifying a much more complex situation, as he often did.

I gestured toward the kitchen, "Did you want some coffee? Breakfast?"

He seemed to contemplate my offer for a moment before shaking his head and looking almost queasy, "You know, I'm going to have to pass. I'm pretty exhausted after last night. I think I'll just head home and get some sleep." At first I felt disappointed, wanting to hear more about what had happened, but then I remembered I had had a pretty exhausting night myself.

"Okay. Well, I would like to hear more about it sometime, but you go get some rest. You surely deserve it."

I hugged him tightly before he turned to leave, "See ya, Sook."

As soon as he left, I went and crawled right back into bed. Realizing you've had only a couple hours of sleep and that you have to work the night shift, well it's a good way to convince yourself to take a nap.

When I woke up, it was late afternoon. I started getting ready for work with a lightness that I hadn't felt in weeks. The burden of fear that had surrounded me about what would happen to Jason had lifted. I didn't know a lot about what had happened to him, but for all intents and purposes he seemed much happier than he had been before the change, and that was what mattered. Maybe all of the worrying had been for nothing after all.

The bar was packed when I arrived and I hurried to get myself inside and available to help out. As soon as I saw Sam he nodded and asked, "How are things?" It was his subtle—to everyone but me—way of asking about Jason.

"Things are good. Much better than expected," I spoke loudly so that he could hear me over the drone of the clientele. Sam's face mirrored what mine had likely been as Jason told me how incredible it was, before he smiled.

"I'm glad to hear it," was all he said, but I could tell he had a lot more he wanted to ask that would have to wait.

"We'll chat later," I said before rushing back towards the kitchen. I threw my stuff in Sam's office and ran out to try and help get the bar under control. It was obvious that they had been understaffed for a while before I arrived by how backed up everything seemed.

I'd barely had a chance to scope out my section when I heard, "Hey barmaid, bring me a Red Stuff!" I didn't even spare a glance in his direction as I preformed the task. When I found the vampire who'd requested it, I saw that he was with Tara and then took note that he was definitively someone other than Franklin. It was reason enough to be concerned. I brought the now warm bottle over and placed it in front of him.

I looked at Tara and she spoke up quickly, "Sookie, I want you to meet Mickey. He's a friend of Franklin's." She managed to keep a tremor out of her voice, but it was easy enough to tell that there was fear there. I only nodded to Mickey, which was about all he would have accepted in greeting anyway. He eyed me as if I were an object, appraising me for value, as he took a long sip of his Red Stuff. I had a strong desire to get out from under his gaze, so since Tara had stopped speaking, I took his money and went back to work.

The rest of the night was a real piece of work, if you can call it that. Terry and I were on our own to take care of the bar after Sam left to go roam the woods and, of course, in Sam's absence trouble had to happen. It felt like there was something in the air; between the college kids brawling and a Drainer coming in, not to mention Mickey's presence. Mickey on his own was concerning. Paired with my friend Tara made me all the more wary of him. I wanted to find out what he was doing with her. Unfortunately, my best chance of learning about Mickey was in Shreveport and unavailable for the evening. I was going to have to wait at least until after work the next night to quiz him about it. If there was something fishy about Mickey, Eric would know.

I had hoped the next night, also a night shift for me, would be calmer. That was until Claudine showed up. My fairy godmother came in the bar near closing time and beckoned me over. As I walked towards her I started to smile and wave, but the grim look on her face nearly stopped me in my tracks. I continued my path to her with more reserve and at a slower pace.

"Sookie," she started, "I unfortunately come with bad news." I swallowed hard. My mind was racing through the many possibilities of what could have happened, so much so that I couldn't speak but only nodded for her to continue. "There was a shooting this morning," at the look on my face she clarified, "Calvin Norris was shot."

My hand shot to my mouth as my brain grappled to understand, "He's dead?"

"Not dead. He was shot in the chest and is in bad shape, but he's alive," Claudine assured me, reaching out a hand to touch my elbow.

"Who did it?" I asked, taking deep breaths to calm myself.

Claudine shook her head, "We don't know."

I sighed, trying to shake the discomfort I felt at that. Claudine filled me in on a few other details, such as how she'd found out in the first place and the hospital he was staying at so that I could go visit sometime if I wanted. As I thanked her and she hugged me, she mentioned the girl who was killed, Heather Kinman, was a shifter, too. This concerned me, but I didn't know what to make of it. After that, Claudine acted as if she were any other patron.

Sam and I closed up the bar together not too long after Claudine left. I told him about Calvin and he mentioned that we should send some type of gift basket to him. I gathered my things and followed Sam outside. As he was locking the door, I turned to say something to him about putting in an order for TrueBlood. He looked me in the eyes for a moment as my mouth opened to speak. But the words never came out. There was only blood and my scream as I saw Sam crumple to the ground.

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The next chapter will be out **soon**. Pinky promise. Love to all my faithful (and newbies that join in) readers. You're all the best. - KO


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note: I wanted to reward you all for being such fantastic readers and reviewers. It has really cheered me up after finishing the final book to not only create a world where Sookie and Eric aren't both suddenly made out to be selfish silly individuals, but to have so many others enjoy it as well. Here's a little more for you.

Disclaimer: Sookie Stackhouse and characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I'm just borrowing them for a bit.

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I drove to Fangtasia as fast as I dared after being with Sam at the hospital for a couple of hours until he was stable. Sam had to throw a fit, but they briefly allowed me to speak with him. During which time we did a good job of avoiding the scary conversation about the fact that three shifters had been shot in as many days. Sam was all business and asked me to see if Eric could spare a bartender until he was back on his feet, quite literally. I agreed without hesitation, and, of course, had other reasons for going to visit Eric. The bouncers let me in with barely a nod as I rushed past. They knew by now that I was always to be welcomed. Well, the vampire version of "welcome" which meant letting me inside without bothering me. I quickly scanned the crowd and saw Eric sitting with boredom pouring off him in waves at one of the booths. He met my gaze only a second after I'd found him and stood as I came over to him.

His face was lined with worry, as he cupped the side of my face, "Is something wrong? I can smell blood…" His eyes did a quick scan up and down. I caught him briefly take note of my bared midriff and the more than usual cleavage I was sporting. I had literally changed into the first thing I grabbed in my rush to get to Shreveport before sunrise.

"Yes, just not with me," I responded. He relaxed some and moved to have me sit beside him in the booth. I didn't see, but felt the eyes of the few steadfast vamp wanna-be's still hanging around this early.

"What happened?" he asked gently, but with a more business-like tone.

No point beating around the bush, "Sam was shot."

"I take from your demeanor that he is all right," Eric concluded.

I sighed at his unconcerned tone, "Yes, he is all right, but he's going to be in the hospital the rest of the night, then bed-ridden and hobbling around for a bit longer than that." Eric raised an eyebrow as if to say, 'go on.' "He's not going to be able to bartend and Terry can't handle doing it every night. He asked me to ask you if you had one that we could borrow until he's able to work again."

When I was finished, he nodded, "I see."

"So… do you have anyone that you could spare for a week or two?" I asked, pleading with him.

He seemed deep in thought, "What would happen if I didn't?"

It didn't take a genius to see where he was going with that line of thought. "Eric, I watched one of my best friends get shot tonight. I really don't know if I have the presence of mind to play this game. Either you'll help us, or you won't," I knew I sounded whiny and with it being 3 o'clock in the morning, I just didn't care.

I saw the anger flash behind his eyes and at first I didn't understand why. "You seem to have left out an important detail. You were there when he was shot?"

"Yeah, I was standing right beside him. One second we were locking up and the next I was covered in blood," I said, finding where his anger had been placed.

"You could have been shot-" he started and took me by both shoulders as if to pull me close.

I resisted, "But I wasn't. Sam was. I know you're upset, but you don't need to be worrying about me. I'm fine."

"I always need to be worrying about you," was his soft reply, and with it I softened my attitude. I brought a hand up to his face and he looked me in the eye. Instantly I saw the pleading in them. He remained silent, not needing to say the words because he knew I could feel what he was asking me. I shut my eyes tightly as my brain raced a mile a minute. Now was just about the worst time ever to think about leaving Merlotte's. I couldn't just abandon Sam, with the situation as it was. It was evident, however, that some sort of compromise would be necessary.

With a sigh I suggested a plan, "What if we start slow. Do a part-time sort of arrangement. I could rearrange my schedule so that I could be here with you for part of the week and in Bon Temps the other part. We could see how that goes? We'd get to see each other more often, but I wouldn't be leaving Sam in the lurch."

Eric's instant reaction, shown to me in his eyes, wouldn't have been positive, but before he spoke something shifted. "I can agree to that," he said before adding, "Temporarily."

A smile crossed my lips, "So now that that's been settled, what are you thinking about this bartender loan?"

Eric leaned back away from me slightly to scan the bar, "I think I could spare the new one. Charles Twining is his name. I admit I don't know him well, but he seems to be good at his job so far."

"I told Sam I would call him with your 'terms' for this favor he's asking. Just to be sure he was comfortable with accepting them." In fact it was mostly me who felt a little uncomfortable with this type of topic with Eric, similar to when I'd had to talk to him about my $50,000 fee.

"He'll just need to provide him with lodging and sustenance for the time he's there. In addition to agreeing to your new schedule, of course."

"Sure, but I don't know if Sam will have anywhere for him to stay," I said trying to picture a vampire shacking up with Sam in his trailer.

Eric looked pensive, "If I knew him better I'd say he should stay with you for added protection. As it is, I could request that Bill house him. Sam would then owe me a favor as I see it."

I rolled my eyes just a little, "Just any old favor?"

"I'm sure I'll come up with something… when the time is right." He smiled at me and I had a sinking feeling I knew what that favor might be, considering one of our most talked about topics since we'd starting seeing each other.

I plucked my phone out of my purse and called Sam. He was somewhat disgruntled about the ominous favor but nevertheless accepted the offer for him to be housed at Bill's.

Near the end of our conversation I covered the mouthpiece of the phone, "Sam wants to know when he can start."

"As soon as he desires," was Eric's reply.

I relayed that to Sam and then told Eric, "He can start at sundown tomorrow."

"Do you work tomorrow, my love?" Eric asked before I could return to my call with Sam.

I kept the mouthpiece covered, "Yes, I'm supposed to work the day shift."

"I was hoping, since you're here, you might stay with me," he continued, trying to kill me with kindness.

"What about Charles? He has to get back to Bon Temps somehow," I tried.

Eric waved a hand, "Easily taken care of." He leaned in to trace his hand down my neck and whisper in my ear, "Stay with me."

I swallowed the lump in my throat, "Okay I'll stay. But I've got to go to work. I'll leave in time to go home and get ready." Most of my words were cracked and barely above a whisper. Eric seemed satisfied enough and sat back up in his seat.

Eric nodded and picked up his own cell phone. As I hung up with Sam I heard the end of a very brief conversation, presumably with Bill. "Deliver him to Merlotte's at sundown and retrieve him whenever his work is done." He hung up a few seconds later without so much as a goodbye. Eric smirked at me before turning to beckon someone from behind the bar. The vampire who approached looked like an extra from a _Pirates of the Caribbean_ movie, eye patch and all.

"Charles Twining, I'd like for you to meet Sookie Stackhouse," Eric said introducing us. Charles' eyes lit up with a smile as he did a slight bow of greeting. My reputation must have proceeded me to earn that much head inclination.

"It is nice to finally meet you Miss Stackhouse," he said with a strong accent.

"A pleasure," I replied, returning the smile, thinking how much the customers would eat him up. But I probably shouldn't use that phrase around vampires.

"Charles, you will be going to work at an establishment called Merlotte's for a time until Sookie's employer recovers from a gunshot wound. Sookie will be there much of the time you are. You are to follow her instruction as you would follow my own," he said with utmost seriousness.

"Eric, he really should be answering to Sam-" I interjected.

"Who sent you as his representative in this matter," Eric was so kind to remind me. I stared him down and he relinquished just slightly, "However, at times when Sookie is unavailable, you should seek the direction of the owner Sam Merlotte, whom you are temporarily replacing as primary bartender."

Charles nodded his agreement and understanding of the arrangement.

"Bill Compton—I believe you have met him once before—will be arriving shortly to take you to Bon Temps. He will be housing you during your stay. Feel free to go gather anything you might wish to take with you," Eric said, effectively dismissing him. Charles smiled at me once more before heading towards the back room.

Eric took one of my hands in his across the table, "Give me a few moments and then we'll go." He brushed a piece of hair behind my ear and then rose to follow Charles to the back room.

As soon as Eric left, I felt the sudden crush of exhaustion. It was only a couple of hours before sunrise and I wasn't sure how much sleep Eric would allow me my first night staying with him. I laid my head down in the crook of my elbow to rest my eyes for a minute.

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I hope you knew I wouldn't keep Sookie holding out on the moving in thing forever. Just had to draw it out a little bit... Reviews make my fingers type faster... ;)


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: The characters of the Sookie Stackhouse novels belong to Charlaine Harris, not I. I'm borrowing them to give both them and myself a little joy.

Author's Note: The moment we've been waiting for is here! This chapter is chock full of lovey-dovey stuff... Just giving you a head's up. :)

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"Sookie?" Eric voice came to me from what felt like somewhere far away. I tried to shake away sleep, but it held fast. A moment—or maybe eons—later Eric's hands were on my shoulders; their slight chill helping me focus on reality. When I finally opened my eyes it was very dark and I could only see Eric's brilliant face right in front of mine.

"Eric?" I replied in kind, squinting at him.

"You were so deeply asleep that I have both carried you to my car and driven you to my home," he said with a smile in his voice.

I took a deep breath and stretched my arms out to the sides. There were likely a few non-intelligible sleepy sounds made in the process.

"I thought I should wake you so that you had a memory of entering my home before suddenly waking up here in the morning," he continued before exiting the car and coming around to open my door.

"Thanks," I said as he helped me stand and enter the house through the garage. I had the sudden thought that I probably wouldn't have minded the shock much at all, as long as his arms were still around me when I came to.

As we walked through the various rooms, I felt myself looking about as if in a dream. I knew I would need to explore more later when I could see better and was fully awake, but even what I could take in was magnificent. Eric led me straight to his bedroom and flipped on some low lighting. He tossed my purse on an armchair, which happened to also be the very second I realized I hadn't been carrying it. He broke contact with me and went through one of multiple doors (many doors, no windows). When he came back moments later he was carrying something pink and soft looking. It turned out to be a sleep jumper in a silky smooth fabric. It bordered the line between sexy and comfy just perfectly.

"Where did this come from?" I heard myself ask with a little too much awe over a tiny piece of clothing.

"There are a multitude of witty comebacks to that question. However, since it's late… I've been stocking up on some things I thought you might like in the event of your moving in with me," he said gently, brushing some hair out of my face and placing the jumper in my hands. Before I could say anything, he directed me towards the door he had come out of, "Through there is your closet, as well as a bathroom, both of which I think you will find are to your liking."

I walked inside 'my closet' and promptly felt my jaw smack the floor. It was a long hallway with shelves and racks smattered with clothes and shoes of all sorts. The closet wasn't quite completely full. He apparently did want me to have a little room to bring the clothes I already owned. I became almost overwhelmed by it all and decided to continue to the bathroom so that I could get ready for some much needed sleep. A full exploration of the beautiful new wardrobe surrounding me would have to wait for another time. Considering I would be spending half of my time here, exhaustion won out over curiosity.

The sight of the bathroom was enough to make me gasp. The floors and walls were covered in a beautiful soft, warm colored stone with accents abounding in a rich crimson. The shower alone was the size of the entire bathroom at my house and had multiple shower heads. In my daze I could hardly count them all. Despite my tiredness, an image of us utilizing that part of the room stirred something up inside of me.

I happily shed my hastily put together ensemble for the inviting pink silk. It felt like heaven gliding over my skin. I found numerous products lining the shelves that were a welcome surprise. Some were exact matches for those I used, showing his keen attention to detail and others were, what I could only assume from the impossible to pronounce labels, much more expensive versions of what I used. Which was just what I would expect from Eric.

I quickly finished my evening rituals, spending a little extra time trying again to rid myself of any remaining blood, and then padded back through my closet to the most heartwarming sight. Eric was lounging under the dark grey and black comforter reading what looked to me like a very old book. It instantly felt like I was home, which was startling to me, as it had been so long since I'd thought that way of anywhere but my Gran's. It was also quite different to see Eric so peaceful; so relaxed. Even my memory-less Eric had rarely, if ever, shown such calmness. It put me at ease to know how safe he felt here. I knew that I would be safe, too; safer than I had ever been.

All of those thoughts happened in the blink of an eye, as that's about how long it took him to look up at me and smile. My knees went weak, but the desire to curl up on his chest overpowered that as I made myself walk towards him. He had been laying on the side closest to me, but moved over and pulled the blankets aside. I don't think he was prepared for the intensity with which I immediately held him to me, as he let out a little sound before I heard him set his book down on the night stand behind me. His arms came around me then and we both let out a small sigh.

He then said something that took me by surprise, as many things that night had, "Thank you, Sookie."

I broke away just enough to look up into his eyes, "Why on earth are you thanking me? You've got 5 bottles of my favorite perfume in that bathroom. I think I'm the one who should be doing the thanking in this situation."

My attempt at being lighthearted didn't faze him for even a fraction of a second. "Sookie, I find that I do not know how to describe what it feels like to finally have you here with me. I have desired bringing you here since our trip to Jackson. I felt so many different things then, too. Lust… longing, but with that came the unexpected instinct to protect you from harm. The fear I felt when you were injured both by the stake and by Bill… was something I had nearly forgotten how to feel. The fear that I could lose you completely. That feeling has only grown since that day…"

"Eric, I am so sorry I've put you through all that," I said, floundering a bit for what to say. I suddenly felt horrible imagining the many nights he'd had to worry about me. He really wasn't wrong in doing that. I was more often than not in some kind of trouble.

"Don't fret, my dearest one. I am going to keep you safe. You are mine," he whispered into my hair as he began to kiss down my neck. My body began to hum in response.

"I attempted to make this feel more like your home as well. Does it suit you?" he managed to ask between kisses. I wove my fingers through his hair in order to pull him away and allow my vocal chords (and brain) to function. I let my hands frame his face and looked him squarely in the eyes.

"You have gone above and beyond to make this place absolutely perfect. I am just blown away by it and I haven't even had a chance to process it all," I said. He smirked in satisfaction at having achieved his goal so thoroughly. "And I am so grateful for it. But, you didn't have to do all that, you big goof." He glared a bit at this and sat up beside me. I followed close and was quick to clarify. "I just mean that all of those things are great, but they aren't why I already feel at home here."

"No? What then?" he asked, softening slightly, but still a bit vexed and puzzled.

I leaned closer to him and poked him in the chest, "You, silly. Just you. Just knowing that I'll get to wake up with you beside me. It just feels like this is how it should be. It feels… almost normal. And I feel like I'm home."

He smiled and eased us back down under the covers, heads propped on our hands in a mirror image of each other. "So you will stay here with me?" he asked, and I could tell he meant more than just tonight.

"I'm sticking to the plan I agreed to earlier… For now," I replied, cuddling up in the crook of his arm.

He sighed somewhat dramatically, "I really thought the closet would do it."

I slapped him gently on the chest, "So you were just bribing me with fancy things to speed things along then?"

"Will you hit me again if I say, 'yes'?" he said with a smile in his voice. I could only laugh in response, before a very large yawn interrupted it. "I suppose as it is actually nearing my own bed time, I should allow you to sleep," he said in a much resigned tone. Eric denying himself sex with me was a serious feat that was not to be taken lightly.

"You should," I agreed as he reached to flip off the remaining light, throwing us into complete dark. "But don't worry, I already have plans for the next time I stay over." I kissed him softly on his collarbone and he growled low in his throat.

"Tomorrow night. I think you meant to say that these plans are for tomorrow night," he said quite assuredly while pulling me tight to him in an effort to maintain his self control.

"I think that could be arranged," I said, nuzzling my face closer to him and throwing one leg over his. I thought I heard him growl once more before I passed out into oblivion.

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Well, that was a whole lot of sap. I hope you enjoyed it... If you did, let me know!


	13. Chapter 13

Author's Note: Thank you all for your fantastic reviews! I am sorry I don't have time to respond to all of you personally as I used to love doing. I figure you appreciate me spending the little time I have on continuing the story so I don't go months between updates again. :) On a separate note, one reviewer chloe caught something that I bungled earlier in the story. I blame it on my long hiatuses (another problem with them) because it was a continuity issue. I had Eric and Sookie referencing their love for each other before I'd made a big deal out of them actually deciding they well, loved each other. I had thought I'd addressed it earlier, but I hadn't. Anyway, I corrected the issue in Chapter 9 and as of right now they have not yet told each other those special three words. :) Maybe soon?

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of the Sookie Stackhouse series, they belong to Charlaine Harris. I'm just playing with them.

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I was suddenly aware of a beeping sound coming from somewhere in the dark. I reluctantly opened my eyes, which was no help whatsoever. Darkness enveloped me, and some very strong arms were doing the same. A grin broke out across my face as I let myself revel in the feeling of it. The beeping grew annoying, but it wasn't bothering my sleeping Viking any. For a little while I tried to ignore it so that I could stay in the moment a little longer. Eventually, even in my joy, I found myself wanting to throw my phone against the wall, so I reached across to turn off my alarm. Eric was completely motionless, and his grip on me made the short reach considerably more difficult.

Once the alarm was shut off I began the process of removing myself from bed. And I do mean it was a process. I started trying to move around by only the light of my cell phone, but stubbed my toe within 30 seconds. Eric and I hadn't talked about sleeping vampire etiquette, so I could only hope that turning on a lamp wouldn't disturb him. With much trepidation (love my Word of the Day calendar), I pushed the button to turn on a table lamp. I stared at Eric for a minute, waiting for him to yell at me to turn it back off, but there was no change. I let out a breath of relief and headed toward my closet.

As much as I'd wanted to save my first experience in the shower for Eric, I took a quick one. This only solidified my strong desire to have him in there with me. I went to my closet to grab something to wear home when I noticed a small section I hadn't seen the night before. There was a pile of neatly folded white t-shirts that stood out to me as being different from everything else lining the walls. I squinted and reached up to pull one down and was shocked by what I saw. It was a stack of my Merlotte's uniform shirts.

"How…" I said turning it over in my hands. Truthfully, I was more confused as to why he would have gotten them as opposed to how. Eric could do most anything he put his mind to, and he had gotten me a supply of work shirts. Before I'd agreed to the current trial living arrangements even. It showed me that while he knew I wasn't ready to completely quit my job anytime soon and wasn't exactly happy about it, he also was willing to respect that. I smiled at this unexpected gesture before getting dressed in it and a pair of black shorts I managed to find. I was glad to have a little extra time to get ready and explore Eric's house before I had to run to work. Speaking of getting to work, didn't I come here in Eric's car?

"Crap," I said quietly re-entering the bedroom. "I hope you thought of how I was getting back to my car, sleeping beauty," I said coming to sit next to him on the bed. I slowly leaned over him to kiss his temple and whispered in his ear, "I'll see you tonight." One of my hands had found his and was resting in it. I was startled when I felt his hand squeeze mine so softly I almost thought I imagined it.

I made my way carefully out through the door to the bedroom after collecting my purse and turning off the light. After closing the one light tight door behind me, I found I was in another light tight space, and fumbled to get the second door open. Through that door was a corridor that still managed to keep most light out. "Shoot," I said, realizing I left my dirty clothes on the bathroom floor, which made me a mighty rude house guest. I turned to reopen to the door, but found that it was locked from the inside. "Of course," I sighed, "Mental note: once you leave, there's no going back."

During my exploration, I found the garage. I was ever so pleased to see that my car was sitting next to Eric's. My stomach grumbled and I managed to make it to the kitchen, which was thankfully stocked with a few human food items. I grabbed an apple off the counter and went in search of a way to leave Eric a note. The second hallway I meandered down held an office and supplies with which to do just that. I took care of some business items first, apologizing for leaving my clothes behind and thanking him for having my car brought here. I briefly thanked him for the clothes, especially the uniform, lending Sam one of his bartenders, and just thanked him in general for everything. Details would wait until the next time I saw him.

After that I got in my car and headed back to Bon Temps and Merlotte's. I thought I'd check and see if Sam had been released from the hospital, so I went over to his trailer first. After a few knocks I heard Sam call out for me to come in. He was propped up on the couch looking much like he did when I saw him last.

"Hey, Sam," I greeted kindly but with some reservation, "How are you feeling?"

He seemed to resist the urge to roll his eyes, "Well, Sook, not that great. I've been shot, someone's targeting shifters, I can't work for at least a week, and above all else, Eric Northman has a favor to hold over my head indefinitely. Couldn't you have offered to let Charles stay with you?," he shook his head to himself. "I'm indebted to a fuckin' vamp. I've had better days."

The shock was plastered all over my face. I hadn't expected Sam to be gleeful, but this was a bit much. "Sam Merlotte, that is quite an outlook you have," I said, putting my hands on my hips. He started to protest, but I wasn't finished, "No, you listen here. You did get shot, and that's a hell of a thing to go through. But you survived. That puts you leagues ahead of Heather and a heck of a lot better than Calvin, too. We both could've been killed! And yet here we are. I see that as quite a blessing." He had the decency to look a little embarrassed. "And as for Eric, yes, you owe him a favor. But guess what? He's doing you one. He certainly didn't have to lend you a bartender, Fangtasia is plenty busy, and he sure didn't need to also put out one of his own to house him. You're welcome, by the way, for driving all the way up there at three in the morning to do that for you and then coming back a just few hours later to open the place up. Which I think I'd better go do about now. Oh and I'm glad that all of that wasn't enough for you and I should have offered to house a vampire I hardly know on top of it." I turned on my heel and walked out before he could so much as squeak in response.

The rest of the day went fairly normal. Sam didn't make any appearances, which I was glad for. Jason did stop by and asked if I'd go with him to visit Calvin, to which I agreed once my shift was over. I did recall, by way of a little flashback at entering the bar, that I had forgotten to ask Eric if he knew Mickey. I filed it away for later. Around the time I was getting ready to head out, Bill came in with Charles. I had arranged for Terry and him to be here at the same time for a couple hours so he could show Charles around. Bill notably pretended as though I wasn't there and left without a word in my direction. Maybe there had been more to Eric's call to him than I'd heard.

After I felt Terry and Charles would be fine without me, I headed for the door. On the way I ran into a man who was just entering. He saw my shirt and evidently assumed I was still working. Not a big stretch, and Arlene was preoccupied in the kitchen, so I got him seated.

"I'm actually on my way out, but Arlene, your server will be right with you," I said politely. I started to turn and walk away, but his next question stopped me.

"Are you Sookie Stackhouse?" he asked. Somewhat slowly, I turned back to face him.

"I am. Why do you ask?" I asked in the friendliest tone I could muster while a small fear was creeping up my spine.

"My name is Jack Leeds. I'm a private investigator," he said, handing me his business card. I took it, waiting for the other shoe to drop. "I've been hired by the Pelt family."

And there it was, the Pelts had hired him and now he was here because he thought I had something to do with her disappearance. Well, he was right. My ability to keep my knee jerk reactions from showing certainly paid off here, "Oh really? Aren't the police handling it?"

He shrugged, "Not so much. She had certain tendencies that led them to think she disappeared on purpose, but the family thinks otherwise."

It was then that his attention was drawn away from me to a different blonde, just now entering the bar. She joined Jack, and from their thoughts and subtle, silent interaction I could tell they were more than partners. "Lily, this here is Sookie Stackhouse. Ms. Stackhouse, this is Lily Bard Leeds," Jack said by way of introduction. I nodded and smiled slightly in acknowledgement.

"I was just out to your house looking for you," she admitted casually. "We have some things we'd like to discuss with you about the night Debbie disappeared."

I took a pause so that my voice would remain calm when I spoke, "As I mentioned to Jack, I'm actually on my way out. My shift's over and I have to go visit a friend of mine who's in the hospital."

Their brains were working a bit over that one. A whole lot of my friends had been hurt over the past year or so and I could tell they knew about a lot of them. Again, I couldn't much say they were stretching, as I'd more than once thought of how that could reflect on my character. Most of those, though, just weren't at all my fault. I could tell Lily was about to comment, but Jack said something first, "Well, would it be possible to speak tomorrow morning? Before you have to be to work?"

I thought about how I'd be headed to Shreveport to spend the night with my vampire lover and had planned to come to work straight from there. I thought about how that excuse wouldn't sound so great to these two. I put on a smile, "Well, I'm not much of a morning person and I have to be to work by eleven. How's ten sound?"

"Fine," they said in unison.

"Okay, well, since you've already been there I take it you'll find me just fine. I really must be going. Have a nice dinner," I gave a little wave and happily exited the bar. I made a bee-line for my car and felt a whole lot better once I was safely inside. Between the shooter and the private investigators, the feeling of someone watching me was overwhelming. I took a few deep breaths before I felt myself calm down enough to start driving.

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_I have a lot of the next chapter done and hope to get it out in the next week. Sorry I'm not the quickest updater. And I'm currently working a full time job, choreographing two musicals and rehearsing for another show. It's a bit hectic. So I'm doing my best! Thanks for your patience and kind words._


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